Tangled Lines
by Unknown and Forgotten
Summary: An AU set sometime after Australia. Rogue and Remy find themselves in new relationships, but things aren't always what they seem. Rated M for future chapters.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. Too bad though...**

**Prologue**

"Ah'm so sorry, Remy," she whimpered. The pain in her chest intensified as she confessed her decision to leave the mansion. "Ah just need some space while Ah try to figure out mah powers. Ah need some time to gain more control. What the professor did for me in Australia was what Ah've always wanted. But now, Ah jus' need ta…" She stopped her rambling and tried to gauge his emotions, but other than a narrowing of the eyebrows, he revealed nothing. She stared into his crimson eyes, waiting for any sort of response. Each second of silence felt like a millennium.

"I can come along. Y' don' need t' go through dis alone chere. I love you," Remy pleaded.

The sound of his voice was so soothing, so welcoming. Yet, Rogue remained firm in her decision. As much as she wanted to have Remy by her side through this, she needed time to clear her mind. She closed her eyes.

"Ah'm sorry." With the last bit of strength she had remaining, she picked up her lone duffle bag and walked towards the door. Rogue felt a pang in her heart with each step she took. She could no longer hold back the tears as she turned the knob. "Ah love you too," she whispered before closing the door behind her.

_**7 months later**_

Rogue could hardly contain her excitement as she made the drive back to the mansion. She was so glad to be coming back. She had no contact with any of her former teammates since her departure. No one even knew about her return today. She thought about the look of surprise on everyone's face. Above everything else, she could not wait to see the look on Remy's face.

Rogue had pictured their reunion so perfectly. She imagined how his arms would hold her as she wrapped hers around him. She would tell him how she now had complete control over her powers. She would tell him how much she missed him. She would tell him how they could finally be together, just as they always desired.

As she drove up the main driveway to the mansion, she decided to park before reaching the front entrance. There was no way she would surprise anyone driving up in her Nissan Rogue. _It was only fitting that she bought a car that shared her name._ She was within earshot of the front door when she saw Remy open the door. As quickly as her heart jumped, she felt it sink when she realized that he wasn't alone.

Rogue quickly ducked behind one of the large trees that lined the driveway. Her curiosity worked in overdrive as she peered around the large trunk of the oak. She listened intently to their conversation, watching Remy's body intertwine with a very attractive brunette.

"So, I'll see you later," the woman giggled, giving Remy a deep kiss.

"Oui, cherie. Have fun at the mall. Be ready by 8," Remy replied, matching her affections with an even more passionate response.

The sight was more than Rogue could take. What would she do? There was no way she could return to the mansion now. Her only reason to return was to be with him. But, it was obvious that he couldn't, didn't, wait for her. It was naive of her to think that he would. No, she would just get back in her car and leave now. After all no one had even seen her yet.

"Leavin' so soon, kid?"

Logan. Rogue should have known better. She turned around to face her old friend.

"Hi, Wolvie." Rogue gave him a small smile.

"Any reason you're hiding behind trees?" She always loved how he cut right to the chase. There were no mincing words with Logan. That's why she felt comfortable asking the obvious.

"Who is she?" Rogue asked abruptly.

"Her name's Lanie. She moved into the mansion about 3 months ago. Guess her and the Cajun hit it off." Logan answered. He wasn't one to gossip, but he always felt a bit protective of Rogue.

"Ah really messed up this time," she stated. They both knew that it wasn't a question.

"It's never too late kid," Logan replied. "I'm sure one look at you, and he'll fall head over heels."

"Is he happy?" Rogue asked as she looked back to Remy and Lanie still sharing an embrace.

Logan stood silent, but finally responded. "Yeah. I think so."

That was all she needed to hear. "Logan, please don't tell anyone you saw me today."

"You not even gonna come in to say hello?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.

She just shook her head. "Ah'll be in touch soon."

"Take care of yourself," Logan called after her as she began to walk away.

Rogue turned her head slightly. It was then that Logan saw the solitary tear running down her rosy cheek. "Ah always do."

Rogue walked back to her car in silent defeat. This was not how she pictured her day would go.


	2. A New Life

**Chapter 1**

**A New Life**

Anna Raven. She stared intently at the nameplate that hung on her office door as she tapped the pen on her desk. It had been almost three years since she left the mansion, and two whole years since she saw Remy with his new girlfriend. She had kept in touch just like she told Logan. But, other than him and Ororo, Rogue had not heard from any of her former teammates. She liked it better that way. It was easier for her to move on from the X-Men, from him.

In their phone conversations, Anna, as she liked to refer to herself these days, would pay careful mind to steer clear of conversations regarding Remy. She just suppressed the need to know, as much as her curiosity clawed away. That's why she was in such a foul mood today.

**Call me. It's about Remy. -O**

That was the text that she received while she ate her cereal that morning. Anna's stomach coiled as she read the text. Unable to bring herself to call Ororo, Anna simply texted back, **Is he ok?**

It was torment while she waited for her friend's reply. **Yes. But there is something I need to tell you.**

She avoided making the call all day. And, unfortunately, her pen was now paying the price for her frustration.

"Whoa, is there a reason that you are assaulting that pen?" Anna turned her attention to the tall, attractive man leaning on her office doorframe.

Anna managed a smile before trying to change the subject. "Is that coffee for me sugah?"

"Naturally. Just the way you like it, light and sweet," the man replied, placing the Styrofoam cup on her desk. "So are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she lied, forcing a smile on her red, glossy lips. "Ah really am okay, Damon."

"I'll drop it for now," Damon answered, raising an eyebrow. "I don't buy it. But, I'll drop it. The big guy wants to talk to us. He said it's pretty important."

"Right now?" Anna inquired.

"Sounds pretty urgent. Wouldn't want to keep him waiting." Damon answered coyly. Anna reached for her gun and badge in her desk drawer and stood from her chair. As she walked past Damon, he grabbed her bare hand and gave it a kiss. "We're going to talk about this later. You know that right?"

"Yea. I know," she replied. "Now come on. We shouldn't keep him waiting." Anna grabbed a tighter hold on Damon and pulled him up. He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before they walked out of her office.

If you were to ask Rogue where she would be in five years, she had never imagined that she would be working for the FBI. After all, the government had never been all too favorable towards mutants. But in recent years, there was a changed attitude. There was a new president in office, and one of his major platforms was mutant civil rights reform. One of the first acts of his new administration was to instill a department in the FBI dedicated to anti-mutant crimes. This seemed like a smooth transition to Rogue after being approached year ago by the FBI. Passing all the written and field tests was a cinch. She was a former X-Man after all. She was assigned to the office located in Manhattan.

That was where she met her partner, Damon Price. She couldn't help the rush of heat that rose to her face when she first saw him. He stood just over six-feet tall with jet-black hair that reminded her of the night. His frame was slender, but not skinny. He wore a designer suit, hiding toned muscles that Anna would only later come to discover. His skin was slightly fairer than hers. She always teased that he needed to get out and get more sun. But, what really intrigued her the most were his crystal clear, ice blue eyes.

They were the same eyes that were now calling for her to enter the conference room with him. The meeting had already started.

"Alright people," a large, burly man bellowed. "We've got a case coming right from the Director himself."

That peaked Anna's attention.

"Apparently there have been strings of anti-mutant crimes a couple miles outside of the city." Anna's interest heightened even more now. "Mostly vandalism, up until yesterday." Their supervisor passed around manila folders. As Anna opened her folder, she fought the urge to vomit right then and there. The images of blood and gore burned into Anna's memory. "This isn't a case for the weak at heart, people. The Director is afraid that this might not be an isolated incident. He's having us look into this on and off the field. I'm assigning several of you into task forces to investigate the victims – violent and non-violent. I need you guys to find me a connection. That's all we have for now."

As Damon and Anna stood to leave the room, the large voice boomed again. "Raven. Price. You two stick around." Their supervisor, Special Agent Ronald Brookes, reminded Rogue a lot of Logan. The two field agents gave each other an inquisitive look as they took their seats again. "Raven. Tell me. Have you kept in contact with any of your former teammates?"

"No. Not really." Anna answered honestly, but she couldn't imagine what this had to do with the case.

"Have you told any of them that you're working with the FBI now?" Brookes continued.

"Uh," Anna hesitated. "Ah don't understand what…"

"It's a simple yes or no, Raven." Brookes barked back.

"No. No Ah haven't." Anna replied.

"Good because I'm sending the two of you in undercover," Brookes finally explained. "I need eyes and ears close by the action. We can't have this turning into a media scandal."

"What exactly do ya expect us ta do?" Anna noticed her accent thickening.

"I need you to move back in with some old friends. Oh, and Price, you'll be going with her."


	3. Homecoming

**Chapter 2**

**Homecoming**

"Hi 'Ro," Anna spoke into her Blackberry.

"Rogue!" Ororo sighed. "I thought you would never call. There is something I need to tell you."

"Yea," Anna replied. "Ah got your text this morning. Sorry it took so long. It's been that kinda day." Anna walked over to her chocolate brown suede couch and lay down in surrender to her exhaustion.

"I'm sorry to hear that my friend. Perhaps I can wait until you are feeling better. Is there anything new with you?" If Anna had been slightly less exhausted, she would have called Ororo on the fact that she did not really want to tell her this news about Remy. But, Anna let it go. She didn't have the energy to deal with ANYTHING Remy at this point. But, this was the opportune time to bring up the news to her friend.

"Well," Anna perked up a bit, about to deliver the news. "Ah was actually planning a visit to the mansion. Ah've got some free time coming, and there's someone Ah'd like ya ta meet."

"My friend," Ororo spoke with an undeniable sound of joy in her voice, "that would be wonderful! When will you be coming? I can't wait to tell everyone."

"Actually, 'Ro," Anna interjected, "Ah'd like to keep it a secret until we get there. Maybe you could just clear it with the professor, so we have a place to sleep. You can tell Logan if ya want."

"Ahem," Ororo joked, "We?"

"Yes. We. His name is Damon Price. We were thinking of coming down in this weekend. If the professor will have us, we'd like to spend the week." Anna waited for her friend to respond.

"I cannot see why he would have a problem. Please do not mind if the house is a bit busy. I'm not sure if you heard about the recent attack on a mutant right here in Westchester." Ororo paused for her response.

"Attack? No, Ah haven't," Anna lied. She hated lying to friends. Next week would definitely be pushing her limits.

"Well, it's a bit worrisome. It was such a violent crime. I cannot imagine what kind of vile person would do such a thing," Ororo's voice began to trail off. "Anyway, the professor has had the X-Men keep an eye on things. Everyone has been a bit on edge."

Damn. Anna had not planned on the X-Men conducting their own investigation. Of course they would. It was their backyard. It was a careless oversight on her part when she agreed to go undercover.

"Ahem." Anna turned around to see Damon leaning on her marble kitchen counter. He smiled as he held two glasses of wine.

"Was that the _friend_?" Ororo giggled.

"Ah've gotta go, 'Ro. Let me know if the professor's okay with my visit, 'kay?" Anna rushed off, hoping to avoid any questions regarding Damon.

"Of course. I will speak with him first thing tomorrow."

"Thanks, sugah." Anna disconnected the call, making her way over to Damon.

"So, what's the verdict? Are we packing our bags for a 'getaway'?" Damon joked as he handed Anna her glass of white wine.

"Ororo said that she'd talk t' Professor Xavier tomorrow. Ah'm sure we'll find out by lunch," Anna replied. But, there was no doubt in her mind that she and Damon would spend the following week at the mansion.

Sure enough, by lunch the next day, Anna received a text from Ororo.

**The professor would be delighted to have you and your friend as his guests next week. Text me the details of your arrival. I cannot wait to see you!**

Anna spent the next week familiarizing Damon with the inhabitants of the mansion.

"So as long as I stick to everything you told me, I shouldn't find myself in any trouble," Damon stated as he drove them to Westchester.

"Now," Anna chuckled, "Ah didn't say that. Ah said that you'll avoid most of the trouble. That house is a minefield. You'll never know when you've stepped on one until it's too late."

"That's comforting," Damon sighed, raising his eyebrows. "I don't get any bonus points for being your boyfriend, do I?"

"Sugah," Anna laughed even more, "that'll probably get ya into even more trouble."

They both laughed nervously at what they had gotten themselves into. As they approached the outskirts of Westchester, the tone of their conversation took on a more serious tone.

"Let's go over this one more time. You and I are a couple," Damon started, giving Anna a mischievous grin. "We met at an apple orchard in Connecticut, and hit it off instantaneously."

"Sounds right so far," Anna replied.

"Since we both lived in Manhattan, we decided to meet up again. We went on another date and have been together for the last year," Damon continued.

"I work for…" Anna quizzed.

"a law firm. Where I also work as a junior partner." Damon answered quickly. "The Bureau has already set up our covers, just in case your friends decide to check up on me. Does it bother you that you have to lie to them?"

"No," Anna sighed. "Every closet in that house is filled with someone's skeletons." Anna knew that Damon didn't believe her.

"Okay. All the minor stuff is out of the way," Damon said as he pulled up to the mansion's front gate. "Now the most important question. Are there any old boyfriends I need to worry about?"

Anna smiled, though Damon could see the sorrow in her eyes. "No." She turned her head to the gate as it swung open. "None that matter."

Ororo was putting the finishing touches to the room she had prepared for Rogue and her friend. Just as she placed some roses into a vase, Remy walked passed the opened doorway. He entered the room silently, trying to surprise his long time friend.

"Don't even think about it, Gambit," Ororo said with a smile.

"Stormy, been lookin' all over for y'," Remy answered. "I wanted t' ask you 'bout Lanie. Y' know how we've been gettin' serious."

Remy's heartfelt chat was interrupted by the sound of the mansion's doorbell. The deep earthy sound echoed throughout the upper sections of Xavier's school.

"Our guests are here," Ororo smiled. "Come my friend. We shall continue our conversation." She took Remy by the hand and led him out of the room toward the mansion's main entrance.

It was Logan who greeted Anna and Damon at the door.

"Logan!" Anna exclaimed, giving her old friend an overdue hug and kiss on the cheek.

Logan responded by giving Anna a hug in return. It was still a new sensation to him to have her kiss touching his, without any ill effects of her powers coming into play. "Welcome back kid." Their heartfelt reunion was cut short when Logan noticed Anna's companion. "Who's the Abercrombie model?"

Damon responded by raising an eyebrow and giving a sly smile. He extended a friendly hand to Logan. "I'm Damon Price. Nice to meet you Logan."

Anna waited for Logan's reaction to Damon. "Can't stay away from the pretty boys, can you kid?" Anna could only blush in reaction to Logan's observation. "Come on in."

Damon grabbed Anna's and his bags and brought them into the foyer.

"So where is everyone?" Anna asked, expecting the mansion to be bustling with mutants.

Logan gave Damon a weary look, being careful not to divulge too much information. "Don't worry Logan, Ah've told Damon about us." Only then did Logan seem to relax, even if it was a bit.

"Most of the team's doing recon. Trying to find anything about the attack," he answered. "The younger students are on a trip to some museum in the city. But don't worry kid, 'Ro's told them all that they needed to be here tonight for some special dinner. No one knows that you're here. It'll be a nice surprise."

"For most people anyway," Anna regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. It was as if she had jinxed herself.

"Now, chere, who wouldn't want t' see y' again." That voice. A chill traveled up her spine as soon as she heard that smooth voice. Anna turned slowly, her eyes traveling up the stairwell. There he stood next to Ororo, looking even more handsome that she remembered.

A lump formed in her throat as she tried to force the words out of her mouth. "Hello, Remy," she managed to whisper.

* * *

A/N: Okay... so what do you guys think? Please review.. Thanks!


	4. Reunions and Regret

**Chapter 3**

**Reunions and Regret**

There she stood in the mansion, like she had never left, never abandoned him. Remy looked right into her emerald orbs. They were even more spectacular than he remembered. Her hair was different now. She wore it long and straight, with her trademark white hair as bangs that stopped right above those alluring eyes. She dressed differently than he remembered as well. Her clothing was much more revealing now. Her top was a black razorback shirt that accentuated all her curves. She wore white capris that ended just below the knees, and a pair of black open-toed heels that played a game of peek-a-boo with her toes. Her gloves were gone now.

"Roguie," Remy managed to say, trying to hide the hurt and pain that he felt when she never returned to him. "It's been a while, chere. Couldn't stay away from d' ol' place could y'." Remy walked nonchalantly down the steps to his former girlfriend. He wrapped his arms around her and proceeded to give her hand a gentle kiss. "We've missed y' petit'."

Anna could feel the blood rush to her face, undoubtedly turning two shades of red darker. She instinctually pulled her hand away from Remy, a habit that sharply cut into Remy's heart.

"Remy. Ah haven't been called Rogue in a long time," she replied casually. "Please, just call me Anna."

"And, I'm Damon. It's a pleasure to meet you, Remy was it?" Damon walked past Anna, and extended a hand to Remy. The tension in the room had just gotten impossibly thicker.

"Oui. Remy LeBeau." Remy replied, removing his sunglasses.

Anna stared up at the two men, as their eyes locked. Fire and Ice. Although they mutually shook hands, there were no niceties being exchanged.

"Damon Price." Damon responded, "Anna's boyfriend."

And there it was, the first blow. With the sound of those words, Remy released his handshake, reacting with one of his signature grins.

With the hopes of easing the tension, Ororo interjected. "Anna, perhaps you and Damon would like to settle into your room."

"Room? Don't ya mean rooms, 'Ro?" Anna questioned.

"Ah, well actually, with the influx of students as of late, I'm afraid that we only have the one room to offer. I hope that was not too presumptuous of me," Ororo apologized.

"Of course not," Damon replied with a smile growing on his face. The door slammed loudly, startling Anna. She looked around the room, not seeing Remy anywhere.

Anna unpacked her things quietly, not knowing how to deal with the multitude of emotions coursing through her body at the moment. At least Damon was in the shower right now. She did not feel like answering all his questions regarding the obvious history she had with Remy. She couldn't help but feel guilty, as if she had cheated on him. But, no, she reminded herself. She had come back for him. It was Remy that had sought out another. Anna wondered just how serious Remy's relationship had gotten. Is that what Ororo had texted her about last week?

Anna shook her head. This was not the reason she returned to the mansion. She and Damon had work to do. There was a murder on the loose. That was her purpose for returning to Westchester. Not Remy LeBeau.

As she reached the bottom of her bag, she pulled out her gun and badge and placed them in the lower drawer of the nightstand. She heard the shower being turned off. Not even a minute later, Damon emerged with nothing but a towel around his waste. Anna blushed at the sight.

"Come on, Anna," he smiled, "this isn't anything that you haven't seen before."

"Not outside of the Bureau's training rooms," she replied, turning her head away.

Damon walked over, sitting next to Anna on the bed. "When are we going to stop denying that there's really something between us."

"Even if that were true, Damon," Anna stopped him from continuing. "Yoah mah partner. It wouldn't be raht."

"You know how cute that is?" Damon smiled.

"What?" Anna narrowed her eyebrows.

"They way your accent gets thicker when you get nervous." Damon's smile grew as he kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes, wondering if he would continue. Instead she heard the bathroom door close.

Anna threw herself back onto the bed and let out a deep sigh. She couldn't understand why she couldn't let Damon in. He was gorgeous, sweet, and totally available. She didn't deny the fact that she had feelings for him. Yet, it didn't feel right. Even though there was this wonderful man in the other room, currently posing as her boyfriend, all she could think about were those fiery eyes. Those eyes that still warmed her most inner core.

* * *

"Merde." Remy spat as he walked around the grounds of the mansion. Why did she have to come back? Things in his life were going well. Weren't they? He was still with Lanie. In fact, he was even thinking of proposing to her. He had gone as far as telling Ororo about his intentions. He had hoped that they would go together to look at rings this afternoon. But, how could he propose now. Now that Rogue, or rather Anna, was back in his life. She wasn't really back into his life though. She arrived with that other guy – Damon. Remy wondered just how serious they were with each other. It had to have been fairly serious if Anna decided to bring him to the mansion to meet everyone.

Remy looked up to see Anna standing by a window. He nimbly climbed a tree to get a better view of her. As much as he wanted to deny it, he was still drawn to her like a moth to a flame. As he watched from the limb, his heart jumped at the sight of her beauty. His angel was back. Unfortunately, his vision was interrupted with the sight of a man wearing nothing but a towel. Remy tightened his grip on the tree. Jealousy was not an emotion that Remy LeBeau was accustomed to. The anger burned within him as he watched the other man put his lips on his angel. He couldn't watch anymore. This was more than he could bear. Why did she have to come back?

* * *

Ororo had thought it would so much nicer if Anna made her entrance after everyone was seated for dinner. The students had not yet returned from their trip to Manhattan, so it was a nice quiet dinner, comprised mostly of the old team: Ororo, Logan, Bobby, Scott, Emma, Hank, and Xavier himself. There were only two others that Anna had never met: Remy's girlfriend, Lanie, and a mutant named Jonesy. Anna had already decided to have the Bureau run a background check on them once she learned a little bit more. Since joining the FBI, it had become instinct for her to suspect the unknown.

"You ready?" Anna looked over to Damon.

"It's okay," he replied, placing his reassuring hands on each of her shoulders.

Anna and Damon waited in the kitchen as Ororo started her toast. She couldn't help the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach as she waited for their introduction.

"My dear, friends. I thank you all for joining me at this dinner. Throughout the years, we have had countless mutants call this place their home. But through it all, I have always considered this group it's core. We have lost many friends along the way. But it is always a joyous occasion when friends find their way back home."

That was her cue. Anna grabbed Damon by the hand and walked into the dining room. A smile grew on her face as she saw the look of happiness and surprise on her friends' faces. They all smiled, even if one of the smiles was forced. She quickly looked away from Remy's mesmerizing eyes. Anna walked to each seat, giving each of her friends a hug. She could feel the weight of all the eyes as she approached Remy. But, they both played it off without a hitch. An outsider would never have been able to tell that there was a history between them.

As Anna returned to her seat, she took the opportunity to introduce her guest. "Everyone, Ah'd like ya'll ta meet Damon Price. He's mah," she hesitated, ever so slightly, "boyfriend."

The hesitation went unnoticed by everyone except Remy. This sparked a curiosity in him that he would surely try to fulfill during the meal. Remy watched carefully as Damon pulled out Anna's seat. He took notice of every little interaction between the two.

Anna felt at ease, catching up on old times with good friends. Her nerves had all but disappeared until the questions on her relationship with Damon started up. She was not surprised by who started the subject.

"So Damon," Remy began, "how did you and our lil' chere meet?"

Anna thanked the heavens that Remy directed his questions to Damon. She did not know if she could handle this type of questioning from Remy.

"Well," Damon began, taking a sip of wine before continuing. "We met at an orchard in Connecticut. We were there separately, each of us with a group of friends from work. As it turns out, some of our friends recognized each other and our groups joined to form one." Anna gave Damon an inquisitive look; they had not rehearsed such a detailed account. She found herself wanting to hear more. Damon just flashed a smile as he continued the fictitious account of their first meeting. She marveled at the details and blushed at the parts where Damon described how he took one look at her eyes and knew that she was special.

Remy sat in his seat, a fire burning in his pit, as he watched his Rogue sitting by the competition. He despised how Damon would so easily place his hands on hers. Remy envied the lack of fear in their eyes as their skin touched. This was supposed to be an experience that she shared with him. He was brought back to reality as Lanie placed a gentle hand on his lap.

"Remy, honey," Lanie whispered. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, chere," Remy lied. He placed an arm around her, hoping to ease her of her worries. However, she looked at Remy with concern, as he continued to watch Anna. So this was the Rogue, the woman that she had been compared to everyday for the last two years.

The entire room joined in "oohs" and "awws" as Damon wrapped up the story he had concocted about their first date. Anna was in awe of Damon's story telling abilities. It was a talent that she never knew he possessed. Anna wondered what else there was that she never allowed herself to know about him. She grabbed his hand and gave it a slight squeeze. Damon looked over to his pretend girlfriend and gave her a very real kiss on the lips. It was at this point that Remy regret ever bringing up the subject of "Damon and Anna".


	5. Midnight Conversations

**Chapter 4**

**Midnight Conversations**

Ororo Munroe stood before her mirror, brushing her long beautiful white locks. Although she was happy that her friend Anna was back at the mansion, she worried about the effects it would undoubtedly have on Remy as well as Anna. Their history was long and strained. She had sent that text to Anna only a week ago after hearing of Remy's intentions to marry Lanie. Ororo had nothing against Lanie, but he knew that Remy was going to marry her as a way to fill the void that Rogue had left in his heart.

"You've gotta this play out on it's own," Logan said as he walked up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, giving her a gentle kiss on the neck.

"What are you talking about, Logan?" she asked. They both knew exactly was he was talking about.

"Let the Cajun and the kid figure it out for themselves. It's not your place to meddle," Logan advised.

"I only want what's best for them. I don't want to see either of them get hurt," Ororo confessed. Although they both knew that Remy and Anna were meant to be, they also knew that it was a relationship that couldn't be forced.

"Does she know what the Cajun's planning on doing?" Logan asked.

"No," Ororo sighed. "I haven't had the courage to tell her. But, I fear if Remy continues with his plan of proposing, Anna will never return to him."

"Just let it be darlin'. They're adults." With that Logan gave her a kiss goodnight before retiring for the night.

* * *

Lanie could hardly catch her breath as her lover came to his own climax. He gave her one more kiss before rolling onto his side of the bed. She tried to revel in the afterglow, but noticed a change in Remy, a change that occurred after Anna's arrival.

"Remy," she whispered. Lanie moved closer to him, giving his shoulder a gentle kiss. "Talk to me, hon. I can tell that something's the matter. Please, talk to me."

"Nothin's wrong, chere," Remy replied with one of his naughty grins. "Y' jus' gave dis ol' boy a work out t'night." He gave her a kiss to ease her worries.

"Are you sure?" she asked again.

"I swear, petite. Everyt'ing jus' fine." Lying came so naturally to him. "I'm gonna jump in de shower." Remy gave her one more passionate kiss before walking into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Lanie didn't believe one word that came out of his mouth. She knew exactly what was bothering Remy. She had always heard stories of Rogue since moving into the mansion. She heard about her loyalty, her strength, her courage, her powers, her beauty, her love. It was that love that had acted as a ghost throughout her entire relationship with Remy LeBeau.

When he first started flirting with Lanie, she did not expect their relationship to bloom as it did. His reputation of womanizing and smooth talking had preceded him. But, all the warnings were useless. She found herself captivated by the Cajun Thief. She expected their relationship to end at any moment. After, he had conquered her. When it didn't, Lanie held out hope that maybe they were actually meant to be. But, she always knew that his heart never completely belonged to her. Rogue would always own a piece of him.

But, Lanie loved him too. It was that love that forgave him every night Remy would call for Rogue while he slept. She would not give up on them that easily, even if Remy already had.

Remy stood with his eyes closed as the hot water from the shower pelted every inch of his skin. It stung, but he deserved the pain. He wanted to punish himself for ever letting her leave his life. He wanted to punish himself for thinking of Anna while he made love to Lanie tonight. Lanie had been nothing but wonderful. But, Remy didn't want wonderful. He wanted his Rogue, his angel.

He stood under the shower for what had to have been an hour. He hoped that Lanie would be asleep. He couldn't look her in the eyes, not tonight. As Remy crept back into room, he tiptoed past his lover. She was fast asleep. He let out a sigh as he put on a pair of boxers and climbed into bed.

It had been a long and exhausting day for Remy. As he closed his eyes, he pictured her beautiful face. He focused on her emerald eyes as she came towards him for a kiss. Remy was asleep within the minute. "Ma cherie, mon amour, my Rogue."

Lanie fought back the tears at the sound of his voice.

* * *

"You've got quite the imagination, Mistah Price." Anna joked with her partner.

"What can I say," Damon joked, "it's a gift."

Anna and Damon both stood at opposite sides of the king sized bed. A moment of sheer awkwardness entered the room. They had never discussed their sleeping arrangements since they assumed that they would have separate rooms.

"The bed's all yours," Damon offered immediately. "I can sleep on the floor."

"That's ridiculous," Anna protested. "There's no reason we can't share. I mean… it's huge." She eyed the king sized bed that stood between her and her partner.

"Are you sure?" Damon asked, the last thing he wanted to do was to make her feel uncomfortable in her own home.

"Ah'm positive. Besides, we wouldn't want any Peepin' Toms wonderin' why we weren't sharin' a bed," Anna rationalized.

"Are you serious," Damon laughed.

"Privacy's not usually honored in this house," Anna rolled her eyes. "Especially with fresh gossip walking around. And you sir, are the epitome of fresh gossip."

"Watch out for nosey neighbors. Check."

Anna and Damon carefully crawled into the large bed, occupying its polar opposite ends. There had to have been at least two feet of space between the two agents.

"How are you doing over there… there… there?" Damon mocked her, creating a false echo.

"Ah'm just fine," Anna laughed, tossing over one of the decorative pillows at him. "And you… you… you?" she teased back.

Damon rolled onto his side. "I don't bite. You can come closer."

Anna turned her head and raised an eyebrow. "Ah'm just fine over here, thanks."

"Suit yourself," Damon answered, pretending to be offended.

There was a minute of peace in the room before Damon broke the silence.

"Can I ask you something personal?" he asked.

"Depends on how personal yah want ta get," Anna replied.

"Remy." Damon responded.

Anna turned to her side to face her partner. Damon also moved his position so that they were now facing each other.

"What about him?" Anna asked.

"I take it he's an ex," Damon stated. "He just about jumped out of his seat when I kissed you tonight."

"Ya, what was that all about?" Anna spat. Damon ignored her question.

"It wasn't a very good break up was it? Let me guess, he cheated on you. That cad." Damon's story telling skills were working overtime as he spun a tale of lust and deceit, making Remy out to be the villain and Anna the helpless damsel.

Anna couldn't help but laugh throughout Damon's entire account of her relationship with Remy. She was laughing so hard that tears were welling up in her eyes. "It wasn't like that at all," she answered, wiping the moisture away form her eyes. After she finished, she noticed a pair of ice blue eyes staring right back at her.

"So tell me what it was like," the eyes replied back. The humor was gone from his voice. Damon was being serious now.

Anna sighed. "It was heaven and hell all wrapped up in a nice little bottle. As much as we loved each other, we tortured ourselves as well."

"Your powers?" Damon asked.

"Yeah. Mah inability ta touch. It was a real rollercoaster ride for us," Anna whispered.

"But, I thought you were able to gain control before you left the X-Men?" Damon continued.

"Ah did. But Ah told Remy that Ah needed some time to fully control them on mah own. Ah came back when Ah did, but it was too late. When Ah returned, he was already with Lanie." Anna confessed. Damon just looked at her, so she continued. "That's when Ah moved to Manhattan. Soon after, Ah joined the Bureau. And the rest ya know."

"Does he know you came back for him?" Damon finally broke his silence.

"What does it matter now?" Anna replied. "We've both moved on."

"Is that so?" Damon asked.

"Yes. Damon, do you think Ah'm lying?" Anna began to get offended.

"Good night, Anna." Damon rolled over and turned off the lamp on his nightstand. "Don't forget to turn the light off when you're ready."

Anna stared a hole into the back of his head for another five minutes before rolling over and turned her own lamp off. As she drifted off into sleep, her mind wandered to Remy. That night she dreamt of better times, when the man she loved would wrap her in his arms. Together. The way it was supposed to be.


	6. Cause

**Chapter 5**

**Cause…**

A loud bang startled Anna out of her slumber. She immediately reached for the gun in her nightstand. She crept to the window where the sound had originated. Down on the lawn were a group of Xavier's students playing a game of catch. She lowered her weapon, remembering where she was. Anna shook her head, half in shame, for reacting the way that she did.

"Gal, ya used ta be an X-Man," Anna whispered to herself. "Ya don't need a gun at the mansion." She walked back to the nightstand and placed the weapon beside her badge.

"Damon?" Anna called out, wondering if he was in the bathroom. She looked over to the bed and saw a note lying on his pillow.

_Went for a jog. Be back in a bit._

Anna knew immediately what that meant. Since she and Damon were undercover, they needed a way to get in touch with Brookes outside the mansion's walls. They concluded that they would just "go for a jog" whenever they needed an excuse to contact the Bureau.

Anna grabbed a towel and hopped into the shower. The warm water ran over her skin, melting away all the tension in her muscles. She washed her hair with her favorite lavender scented shampoo. She loved the scent so much that she also purchased lavender scented body wash. She took a quick shower today (_only fifteen minutes)_. She grabbed for one of the towels and marveled at how soft the cotton was. After completely drying herself off, she looked in the mirror. She took notice of her curly hair was starting to grow back in. Anna had allowed one of her friends from work to talk her into getting her hair straightened. It was costly, but at least she didn't need to waste countless hours of manually blow-drying it straight every morning. It was a sound investment she thought to herself.

As she walked out of the bathroom, she noticed the tall figure entering her room.

"Hey, sugah," Anna stated, "back so soon? How was the jog?"

"Don' recall doin' any exercisin', chere. But, if y' offerin'." Anna stopped in her tracks as the blood rushed to her face.

"Remy!" she exclaimed. "What're ya doin' in here?" Anna felt the embarrassment starting to surge. She clinched her towel tighter, making sure that there were no accidental shows.

She turned to see Remy's eyes examining every inch of her body. Anna stood firm, digging her heel into the soft carpet. "Are ya gonna answer me or not?"

Remy saw just how flustered he was making Anna. He decided to push the envelope to see just how far she was going to let him take it. He glided closer to her, hardly making a sound. He could see all the muscles in her shoulders tense the closer he came. Finally, he stopped short, their chests only inches apart from each other. Anna looked down in embarrassment. Remy followed her gaze, feeling a sense of guilt. What was he doing in here with the woman that he had loved for so long?

Remy carefully lifted his hand and ran his fingers down the side of her arm. Anna let out a silent gasp at his touch. He had forgotten how soft her skin really was. The smell of lavender flooded his nostril. He was drawn even closer to her. She too was under his spell. She stepped closer, allowing herself to belong to him once again. He moved his hands down her sides and stopped at her hips. Anna couldn't control her body and longer. She rested her forehead on his chest.

"I missed y', chere," Remy whispered. "Why didn't y' ever come back t' me?"

She cringed at the words. An indescribable swirl of emotions began to make its way up her gut. She narrowed her eyebrows and pushed herself free.

"Why didn't AH every come back?" Anna spat. "The question is, why couldn't ya wait? Ah guess Ah wasn't worth it, huh?" Anna didn't know where all the anger came from.

Remy's eyes were in shock. He didn't understand what had happened. How could he have been on cloud nine, only to be shot right back down in the matter of a split-second?

"Listen Ro-, Anna, I'm not de one dat left. I waited f' y' to come back. But, guess wat? Y' never did. So do me a favor an' don't spew all dis anger at me." All the pent up aggression and anger was flowing freely through Remy now. "Looks like y' never changed. Y' still like t' play de victim, non?"

Anna watched the anger flare in his eyes. She never realized how hurt he truly was. She just bit her bottom lip, fighting back the tears. She wanted to lash back and tell him that she had returned. She wanted to tell him how it was him that had betrayed her by seeing someone else before she returned. But all she could manage was a barely audible, "Get out."

Remy stared at her for a couple seconds before she repeated herself, this time much louder. "Get out of my room!"

As if the situation couldn't get any worse, the bedroom door opened. Damon came in, juggling two cups of coffee and a brown bag.

"So, I grabbed us some breakfast. Figured we could," Damon stopped as soon as he saw that they had a guest in the room. "Hello." He paused, looking at Remy and Anna. He noticed how she was dressed, or rather, not dressed. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No," Anna answered. "Remy was just leaving." She turned to him with pursed lips and raised an eyebrow.

"Remy," Damon puffed, "is there a problem here?" Fire and ice met once again. Anna held her breath, hoping that neither man would become violent. Damon remained calm and collected, almost as if he were trying to egg Remy on. Remy, too, remained still as stone.

"Non, mon ami," Remy spat. He turned and looked Anna right in the eyes. "We're done."

The words cut her deep. Anna knew that Remy wasn't just talking about their conversation. She managed to maintain her composure just long enough for Remy to leave the room. Once she heard the click of the door, she fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. Damon rushed to her side and wrapped his arms around her. He placed his cheek on the top of her head and gently caressed her back.

"Hey," Damon whispered. "It's okay. Whatever happened between the two of you is your business. Right now, all the hurt you're feeling… just let it out. I'll be here for you the entire time. Just let it all out."

Neither of them moved for the rest of the morning.

* * *

"Just another woman, dat's all she is f' now on," Remy spat through clenched teeth. "That fuckin' woman has played me f' de last time. De nerve of her! How can she blame me f' movin' on when she never even came back!" Any person walking by his room at the moment would have thought that there was a murder in progress. He paced feverishly, punching and throwing random objects along the way.

After a few minutes and countless random cuss words, Remy tried to regain his calm. He had a Danger Room session with some of the students in less than ten minutes. He could not teach like this. It took him a few minutes, but he eventually managed to calm himself down. He walked over to the dresser and picked up a framed photograph of Lanie and himself. A wide smile came to his face before he grabbed his jacket and ran out the door.

* * *

"Scott," Professor Xavier began, "there's been another attack."

"We haven't heard of any reports professor," Scott stated. "Plus, we've been taking shifts surveying the area."

"It happened just last night," Xavier explained. "I felt a sudden surge of pain and fear, just as it did last week. It rushed through me just after midnight. The images I saw were horrific, Scott. I want you to assemble a team to find out what happened. The attack was close, once again, within our town's limits, if I were to guess."

"I'll get right on it, Professor," Scott hurried out the door.

"Whatever is out there," Xavier spoke to himself, "let's hope we stop it before it attacks again."


	7. And Effect

**Chapter 6**

**And effect**

Anna emerged from the bathroom fully dressed, makeup and hair completely in order. She let out a sigh and performed a once around for her partner. Damon sat on the bed and smiled as she spun. She felt silly modeling her clothes for him. After all, she was only wearing a pair of old black jeans, a green sweater she had received as a Christmas gift, and a black jacket.

"You look wonderful," Damon said.

"Thank ya, Damon," Anna replied. "Ah really appreciate what ya did for me earlier."

"What? Buy you coffee?" Damon teased, "Don't worry about it. You can pay me back the buck fifty later."

"You know exactly what Ah'm talking about," Anna sighed. "Ah was a hot mess this mornin'. Thanks for sittin' with me through that."

"Hey," Damon started, as he got up and walked over to Anna. "I'm your partner. That's what we're for." He gave her a quick hug before getting down to business. He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and quickly scribbled something down. Damon handed the note to Anna.

She scanned the note and replied, "Yes. It's safe ta talk. Ah don't think we're being bugged, if that's what ya'll are worried about."

Damon raised an eyebrow, questioning her judgment.

"Yes! Ah'm sure it's safe ta talk!" She laughed. "Did ya get in touch with Brookes?"

"Yes," Damon finally vocalized. "He just wanted to know if the X-Men suspected anything. I told him that we were pretty confident that our cover was safe. He just said that we should keep in touch, in case anything new came up."

"That sounds good. Were you able to pick up on anything while ya were in town?" Anna inquired.

"Nothing really," Damon replied. "Seems like people are still pretty spooked about the whole thing. No one even wants to talk about it. Most you can get is your typical, 'it's a shame'."

"Maybe we should walk the terrain around the crime scene," Anna suggested. "Let's see if we can find something that the first responders might have missed."

"I was just about to suggest that," Damon replied.

"Ah'll just throw on a pair of boots, and Ah'll be all ready ta go. But," Anna hesitated, looking at Damon's attire, "you might want to change into something more comfortable."

Damon perked up. "Is that code for, 'let me see you change in front of me?'"

Anna just raised an eyebrow in response.

"I was just kidding," Damon immediately responded. "I'll be right out."

It took Damon less than five minutes to change into clothes that were more appropriate to wear in the woods than his Armani. They each grabbed their badges and guns and tucked them under their jackets. It was the beginning of autumn, and the air was beginning to get rather crisp. Anna was glad for this since she could more easily conceal her credentials.

The mansion was fairly quiet, which made Damon and Anna's departure much easier. Anna figured that there would be less explaining if they were to leave without running into anyone. They drove to some wooded area only ten minutes away from the mansion. Damon pulled the black SUV off to the side of the road. He followed Anna as she head to the location the body had been discovered.

"It should be right up here," Damon said as he caught up to Anna. "He was found by a couple of kids messing around in the woods."

Anna and Damon examined the scenery. If it hadn't been for the fact that a gruesome murder had taken place less than fifty feet from where they stood, it would have actually looked like a serene place to take a hike. The two agents combed the woods, scanning for anything out of the ordinary.

As Anna walked the perimeter, she couldn't help but think about Remy. Did he really mean what he said? Was it truly 'done' between them? Anna's train of thought was interrupted when Damon called her name.

Anna walked over to where Damon was standing. "What is it?"

Damon used his pen to push aside some leaves that had already fallen. He looped it through a finger hole of a large hunting knife covered with dried blood. The official autopsy stated that the victim had been stabbed several time before being cut open. The files also mentioned that the murder weapon was never recovered.

"Looks like we may have found whatever killed that poor guy," Anna stated. "We need ta get this info ta Brookes as soon as possible." Damon pulled out his handkerchief and wrapped the knife in it. Just as he finished, they heard a twig snap a few yards behind them. Anna and Damon gave each other a look. Anna stopped Damon's hand as he reached for his gun.

Damon gave her a questioning look.

"Trust me," she mouthed silently.

"What're you two doing here," a voice called from the distance.

"Ah could say the same ta you," Anna replied.

Bobby walked out from behind a couple of bushes. As he came towards them, Anna placed her arms around Damon and whispered. "Slide it under mah holster." Damon followed her lead and carefully put the knife by her gun. Anna had to stand carefully now. Even though it was wrapped in Damon's handkerchief, it was still extremely sharp.

"Aww, come on, Rogue," Bobby complained. "No smoochy smoochy now."

"Bobby," Anna smiled turning carefully in place, "Damon and Ah were just going for a little walk.

"Kinda far from the mansion aren't you," Bobby questioned.

"Well," Anna replied, "we actually just went into town and Ah begged Damon to walk around with me. See, Ah wanted ta show him how beautiful these woods were this time of year. Our car's parked just down a ways."

Bobby wasn't sure if he bought her story, but didn't want to see his old friend get yelled at either. The rest of the team was right behind him. Scott would have a fit if he saw a civilian like Damon walking around so close to where that mutant was murdered.

"You guys better get outta here," Bobby warned. "Scott and the others are on the way."

"Thanks, sugah," Anna whispered as she grabbed Damon's hand. She walked hurriedly back to their SUV. "You better call Brookes. We've gotta arrange for him to get that knife analyzed."

Anna and Damon drove into town. As per their supervisor's order, they were to deliver the knife to the local police department. They would be able to seal the evidence there until Brookes could send one of his other agents to pick it up for analysis. Anna had Damon make the delivery into the Westchester Police Department. She had him wear a cap and sunglasses, so that their cover wouldn't be completely compromised. God forbid one of the students from the mansion were to recognize either of them waiting outside the police station.

As Anna waited in the SUV, she noticed Remy walking down the street. She ducked down and hid her face, even though the windows were tinted completely. She continued to watch him as he walked into a jewelry store. Remy had brought her there once on a whim. They pretended to be a couple looking for an engagement ring. They giggled like school children as they had the saleswoman pull out several different styles. Anna could still picture the saleswoman's face when she told her that she couldn't remove her glove to try on the rings because she had an extremely contagious skin condition. She and Remy bit their cheeks so that they didn't laugh right then and there. Anna remembered how her heart jumped when Remy slid one of the rings on her finger. "One day, chere," he whispered in her ear, "dis Cajun will make you his wife."

Anna smiled at the memory, but was yanked back to reality when she saw the salesman pull something out from the display case. Her heart dropped, remembering exactly the type of jewelry that was in that particular section of the store. She held her breath as she watched the salesman show Remy the ring. Even from this distance, she could swear that she saw it glimmer. The salesman placed the ring in a box as they walked together to the back of the store.

Coming back was a horrible mistake. Anna was sure of that now. She had to maintain her focus and move on from Remy. It was obvious that he had planned on doing the same. Damon knocked on the window for Anna to unlock the doors to the SUV. He hopped into the driver's seat.

"Okay," Damon sighed, "Brookes is sending someone to pick it up. The lab will have it by tonight." He put the car into drive and started to pull away. Remy walked out of the jewelry store just as they drove by. If it hadn't been for the black tinted windows, Anna could have sworn that her eyes met with Remy's. Damon was still talking in the background, but Anna was paying no attention at all.

"We need ta solve this as soon as possible," Anna whispered. "Ah need ta get out of this place and get back ta my life."

"We will," Damon replied. He glanced over at his partner. It pained him to see such sorrow in her eyes. "Listen. I've got an idea." Anna turned to her partner, waiting to see what his plan was. "We need to find out if anyone in town knows what's going on, right?"

"Yeah?" Anna answered.

"Well, why don't we go out tonight? We're not going to find anything out by sitting around the mansion all week. We can tell everyone that we're going on a date," Damon explained. He made perfect sense of course. There was no point just sitting around the mansion. Besides, she didn't want to be around to see Remy. If he was going to propose to Lanie, there was no way Anna wanted to be anywhere near the mansion.

"It's a date," Anna said definitively. It was time to move on.


	8. Carnies

**Chapter 7**

**Carnies**

Anna and Damon sat in awkward silence after agreeing to go on a date. She was thankful when Damon's cell phone rang, breaking the silence. Damon pressed the Bluetooth button on the car's steering wheel to answer the call.

"Price," Damon answered.

"Price," the voice echoed through the speaker system. "Is Raven with you?" Anna immediately recognized the large voice.

"Ah'm here, sir," she replied.

"Good," Brookes bellowed. "We just got a hit on the vic. There was a missing person's report filed out in New Mexico. Name's Gregory Nunez. Mexican citizen. He'd been traveling with a two-bit carnival as some sort of side show freak act."

"How did he wind up all the way in Westchester?" Anna inquired.

"Dunno. All I know is the carnival manager's the one that called it in about a week ago. Nunez was a part of a family act. All of the family members were mutants," explained Brookes.

"Has the family been notified?" asked Damon.

"No," replied Brookes. "Thing is, they all disappeared. Local cops assumed that they had fled from the carnival. We did some research on the company – it seems pretty shady. The system brought up countless charges varying from health code violations to animal cruelty. They've been under investigation by the INS as well. Apparently, they've had a history of using illegal immigrant mutants as 'freak shows'."

"Like the Nunez family," Anna said.

"Bingo," Brookes acknowledged. "I need you two to find the rest of that family. If Gregory Nunez was in Westchester, there's a good chance that the rest of his family might still be hiding out somewhere."

"Got it. Sir," Anna paused. "What kind of mutants were they?"

"No powers," Brookes answered. "They just looked different. The carnival called them the Crocodile Triplets: Gregory and his two siblings, Tomas and Antonio. Skin just like a croc from head to toe. Ask around town and see if you find anything. I want the two of you to report back to me by tomorrow night."

Damon hung up as they turned into the mansion's driveway.

"So where do we start?" Anna questioned Damon.

"Well," he sighed, "where do run away alligator boys go after their brother is murdered?"

"Crocodile boys," Anna corrected. Damon just rolled his eyes and sighed.

"We could find them so much faster if Ah told Xavier what we knew," Anna sighed.

"Brookes would have our asses handed to us," Damon stated. "We can't let them know unless we get an okay. Besides, how happy would they be if they found out you only came back for a visit under false pretenses."

"Ah supposed you're right," Anna replied. "Well Trixie's was always a pretty good place to hear some town gossip."

"Trixie's?" Damon raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "I don't think that's my kind of place."

Anna slapped his arm. "It's the local bar. We can probably go there and see if anyone's heard anything. We always used to hear such juicy town gossip when me and the team would go there."

"Trixie's it is then," Damon agreed. He got out of the SUV and opened the door for Anna. She thanked him as she got out of the car.

"Hey lovebirds," Logan called to them from the rec room. Anna and Damon walked into the room to find Logan playing alone on the pool table. "Where've the two you been?"

"Just took a drive around town," Damon answered.

"Hmm," Logan replied. He lined up his next shot. Two in the corner pocket – in. "How was the walk?"

Anna narrowed her eyes. "Bobby has such a big mouth." She sighed and continued to answer Logan and hoped that he wasn't suspicious of anything. "It was a nice walk - real peaceful. So much quieter than the city."

"That's nice, kid," Logan said. "By the way, the ice pop didn't need to tell me anything. I could smell lover boy's cologne a mile away." He paused to make another shot. "So, you play?" Logan turned to Damon.

"Not regularly," Damon replied. "But, I think I can hold my own."

"Let's see," Logan answered. Anna knew better than to stick around during these testosterone filled moments. She had suffered through one too many between Remy and Logan, and she wasn't in the mood to go through another one right this minute.

"Ah'm gonna rest a bit before we go out tonight," she said.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Damon asked, but he was already racking up the balls for Logan.

"No, sugah," Anna replied. "Have some fun boy time. If Ah'm not in the room, Ah'll meet you in the foyer at 9."

"Sounds like a plan," Damon smiled.

"Ah'll see you later, Logan," she waved as she walked out of the room. Anna made it halfway up the stairs when she heard Damon call after her. She leaned on the railing and gave him a sly smile. "What's the matter, hun? Miss me already?"

"As a matter of fact, I did," Damon flirted back. He saw how Anna's cheeks blushed. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm looking forward to our date." He winked and kissed her on the cheek. The warmth of her face intensified under his lips. "Until then," he whispered.

Anna felt as giddy as a schoolgirl as she walked back to her room. She hadn't dated anyone since Remy. There was definitely a skip to her step as she held in her desire to squeal out loud. She couldn't help but do a little dance once she closed the bedroom door. What would she wear? The choices swirled through her mind, although her options were limited.

Anna thought immediately of Kitty. They had run into each other after Ororo's dinner. Kitty had just come in from a mission and was so thrilled to see her old friend. Although Anna felt a tad bit guilty asking for a favor after not seeing her in so long, her hands were tied. Besides, Kitty was one of the few women in the mansion who were actually her size.

Anna tapped lightly on Kitty's door. After about twenty seconds, Kitty answered and gave her a hug.

"Hey, girl," she exclaimed. "Come on in!" She grabbed Anna by the hand and pulled her into the room. She plopped down onto the bed and patted it, motioning for Anna to sit beside her.

"So," Kitty said, "catch me up on everything!" She stretched her arms and leaned back on her bed.

"Jeez," Anna sighed. "Where do Ah start?" From the beginning always worked. Anna told her everything that had happened since leaving the X-Men three years ago. She made sure to leave out the parts about working for the FBI, instead using the story about working at this big law firm in Manhattan. Kitty nodded as she listened. Anna then retold Damon's account of how they met. Kitty was definitely into that part of the story.

"Anna" Kitty grinned, "he's totally hot."

"Yea, Ah guess he is," Anna blushed. "Actually, that's kinda why Ah came by. See, we're going out on this little date tonight. Nothing major, we're just going to Trixie's, but Ah totally forgot to pack anything 'date-worthy'. Ah was wonderin'…"

"Say no more," Kitty squealed. She ran to her closet and pulled out a whirlwind of outfits.

After sorting through an endless sea of clothing, Anna and Kitty decided on the perfect outfit. Anna gave her friend a hug before returning to her room. It was about five o'clock by the time Anna got back into the room. She decided to lie down and read a book before getting ready for tonight. Anna's eyelids felt increasingly heavy as she scanned the words on the page of her book. She succumbed to the temptation and lay her head down. Just for a minute. She would get up after resting her eyes for a minute. This time, she pictured a set of beautiful blue eyes and it sent chills all over her skin.

By the time Anna opened her eyes, it was significantly darker in the room. She glanced over to the clock and saw that it was half past seven. She jumped up and turned on her lamp. She ran to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

In an hour and a half, she and Damon would be going on their first real date, even though it was work related, they were still calling it a date. She quickly pushed the thought of Remy purchasing the engagement ring out of her head. Anna convinced herself that tonight would be her first chance at a normal relationship. She had a clean slate with Damon, something that would never be possible with Remy.

It took her the entire time to get ready for her date. Damon was supposed to meet her in five minutes. Anna looked at herself and wondered if she should have gone with something less revealing. Kitty made perfect sense earlier when she convinced Anna into wearing the silver, sequenced halter-top. However, Anna was now second-guessing herself. The shirt left very little to the imagination. Although her front was completely covered, her sides and back were bare. She decided to wear her hair up in a loose twist, so her back was completely visible. She wore tight black pants and a pair of skinny high heels. Her outfit was definitely screaming, "touch me".

Anna's stomach coiled tightly as she walked down the stairs. Her jaw dropped slightly as she saw Damon waiting for her in the foyer. His blue eyes glistened like a diamond. He wore all black tonight. He had on a pair of designer dress pants and a tight fitting t-shirt. She noticed the way his muscles formed little ripples under the fabric. He handed her a single red rose as she approached.

"You're beautiful," he whispered.

"Thank ya," Anna whispered back.

They hardly spoke on the way to the bar. Although Anna tried to focus on their case, the supposed real reason they were going out tonight, she couldn't help but think about how good Damon looked. She could tell that he approved of her outfit. She had caught him glancing at her body at least a dozen times since they got in the car. There was no reason they couldn't mix business with pleasure, Anna thought to herself.

They parked their SUV in the lot adjacent to Trixie's. Anna's heart almost jumped out of her chest as Damon put his arm around her waist. He smiled at her as he was doing it. She didn't protest. Unfortunately, Anna's dream date came to a screeching halt as they walked into the bar.


	9. The More Things Change

**Chapter 8**

**The More Things Change**

Remy stopped breathing when he saw her enter the room. She looked radiant. His stern exterior hid the swell of emotions that were begging to be released. He couldn't understand why she had such a spell over him. He couldn't stand to look at her, yet he loved her and wanted to be by her, right where Damon was. As unaffected as Remy tried to seem, he couldn't stop his jaw clenching when he noticed Damon's hands on her waist.

Lanie glanced at her boyfriend after finishing the last of her beer. She followed his gaze to the woman that entered the bar. What was it that captivated him? Lanie admitted to herself that Anna was a good-looking woman. However, she wasn't anything special, was she? Afterall, Lanie had been known to turn a few heads as well. Lanie sighed deeply and waited for Remy to eventually break his stare. Couldn't they go anywhere without Rogue showing up? The taste of jealousy was quite bitter. Out of annoyance, she pushed his arm off of her shoulder.

Anna felt Damon's hand tense when he saw that there were a few X-Men in the bar.

"How're we going to question anyone with them here?" he grinned, trying hard not to mouth the words.

"Don't sweat it," Anna replied. "We'll manage. They're probably here for the same reason."

"Hmm," Damon sighed, "even him?" His crystal eyes shot to a dark corner of the bar. Anna didn't turn around right away. By the intense look in Damon's eyes, she knew exactly who was sitting there.

"Just forget him," Anna answered. But, she knew her advice was much easier said than done.

They made their way to one of the tables where some of the house members had congregated. Logan and Bobby were in the middle of a game of darts.

"Hey guys," Anna said. "Ah didn't know ya'll were gonna be here tonight."

"Anna," Ororo smiled. "This is a nice surprise. You look beautiful, my friend."

"Thanks, sugah," Anna blushed. "So who's here tonight?"

Ororo scanned the room. "Well, tonight it's just Logan, Bobby, and myself. Remy and Lanie were here already."

"Hey Abercrombie," Logan joked as he nodded to Damon.

"Ororo, lovely as always. Logan, Bobby." Damon greeted.

"Would you care to join us?" Ororo asked.

"Thanks, sugah," Anna replied. "Ah think Damon and Ah are gonna grab a booth to ourselves for now. But, we'll come over in a bit."

"Until then," Ororo smiled. As Anna and Damon made their made over to an empty corner booth, she could feel the heat from Remy's stares.

Damon sat right beside Anna, leaving the opposite bench empty. If Anna had planned it better, she would have picked that bench to sit on. From where they were now, Anna could see Remy with just a slight turn of the head. She wondered if her night could get any more awkward.

"Evening," the waitress said, pulling out a pen and note pad. "Can I get you guys something to drink?"

"I'll have a Heineken," Damon said.

"What can I get you, hun?" The waitress turned to Anna.

"Ah'll have a Malibu Bay Breeze, please," Anna smiled. She watched the waitress as she walked to the bartender and put in their order.

"So after a few minutes, I'll mingle with the locals and see if I can pick up anything about the Nunez brothers," Damon explained.

"Ah figure Ah'll go over to the X-Men and see what they know," Anna responded. It was strange referring to her former teammates as a separate entity. The X-Men had been a part of her for so long. It scared her though, how easily lying to them came.

"You look gorgeous tonight, by the way." Anna turned to face Damon. She blushed at the compliment. He still had his arm around her, except now his hand was stroking her shoulder.

"Thanks," she smiled. They said very little while they finished their drinks. After another round of drinks, Damon made his way to a group of locals by the pool table. Anna joined her friends a few minutes later.

"So, how did you're afternoon go 'Ro?" Anna asked as she pulled out a chair and ordered another drink.

"Well, it was mostly work related. Remember those attacks I told you about?" Ororo answered.

Anna nodded. "Yeah, Ah think Ah saw somethin' about it on the news? Why?"

"Well, Professor Xavier felt a disturbance last night. There was another attack last night," Ororo explained. Anna's jaw dropped slightly at the news. She would have to wait until later to tell Damon. She closed her mouth and waited for Ororo to continue. She was staring down at her drink before looking Anna in the eyes. "I'm sorry my friend. I'm sure that this isn't what you want to talk about tonight."

"It's okay, 'Ro," Anna protested. "It's obviously bothering you. Please, continue. Did ya'll find anything then?"

Ororo nodded. Anna placed her hand on her friend's. "It was horrible, Rogue," she whispered. The poor boy was gutted and skinned, like some animal for game."

"What?" Anna said, narrowing her eyes.

"What would make someone do that to another human being?" Anna knew that it was a rhetorical question.

"Did ya'll find anything out about him?" Anna questioned.

"No. Hank is in his lab now completing the autopsy. That is why I agreed to go out tonight. I had hoped to get my mind off of things." Anna reached over the table and gave her friend a hug. "They are arguing right now." Ororo said next.

"Huh?" Anna narrowed her eyebrows, confused by Ororo's last comment.

"Remy and Lanie. I can only assume that it is because of you," she said raising an eyebrow.

"That's terrible, 'Ro. Why would ya say somethin' like that," Anna pouted.

"Because it is true. The boy is still in love with you. You know that as much as I do. Why don't you two have a civilized conversation?" Ororo lectured.

"Ah tried," Anna sighed. "He's just impossible." Anna's curiosity got the better of her as she glanced to where Remy and Lanie were sitting. Ororo was right, not only were they arguing, but it also looked like it was getting pretty physical. She noticed Lanie slamming her glass down and pushing away Remy's arms when he tried to console her. Anna quickly turned away when her eyes met with Remy. At that point, she saw Damon standing alone by the jukebox. It was the perfect time to tell him about the details that Ororo shared.

"Hey, hun," Anna said as she leaned against the jukebox. "Ah got something Ah need ta tell you."

"Just in time," Damon smiled. He grabbed Anna by the hand and walked her to the dance floor. As they walked out, the song "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis started. Damon held her right hand in his and wrapped his arm around her. Anna's face flushed as they started their dance. "No one will suspect a thing if we whisper to each other dancing. So what did you need to tell me?"

It took Anna a minute to remember what he was talking about. She shook her head slightly before remembering everything that Ororo had told her. Anna told him about the second murder. They continued to dance as Anna explained everything she knew. Anyone watching would have thought that they were having a romantic moment, the way Damon leaned in just close enough to smell her lavender scented hair. Anna too played up the scene. She rested her cheek against his as she finished up her report.

"Shit," he whispered. "We have to tell Brookes now." They quickly made their way to the car and called their supervisor.

"Price, I want you to return to the office now. I want a briefing on everything that you know," Brookes ordered. "Raven, stick around and see what else you can find out about that victim." Damon gave Anna a disappointed look.

"There goes our romantic date," he joked. "Listen, I should be back by tomorrow night. Can you tell the X-Men that I got called away on some business?"

"Sure. Ah'll tell them that something came up with one of your cases. If ya head out now, you should be able ta make it back to the city by midnight." Anna pouted.

"I can drive you home first," Damon offered. "I'll drive out after that."

"That's alright, Damon," Anna protested. "Ah can catch a ride with one of the other guys."

"Are you sure? I don't mind at all," Damon insisted.

"It's okay," she replied. She turned him around and pushed him towards the SUV. "Go. Ah'll see ya tomorrow. Text me when ya get in so Ah know you made it back in one piece."

Damon gave her a kiss on the forehead before getting into the driver's seat. "Stay out of trouble," he warned.

Anna walked back into the bar just as Remy and Lanie's argument reached its boiling point. Remy had just gotten a drink thrown in his face before Lanie started stomping towards the exit, and Anna.

"This is all your fault," she hissed at Anna as she pushed the door open. Anna bit her bottom lip, unsure of how to react. On one hand, she felt bad that Lanie and Remy had gotten into an argument. But, then again, seeing them have problems made her slightly happy.

Anna looked over to Remy, who was currently drowning his sorrows into a glass of whiskey. She held her breath before walking over to him.

"Do ya mind if Ah sit down," Anna whispered. Remy looked up, his eyes giving off a slight glow.

"It's a free country, chere," Remy replied. "Care for a drink?"

"No," she answered. "Thank ya though."

"So, where's de boyfriend?" Remy sneered.

"Oh, Damon got called back to work just now. There was some sort of emergency with one of his clients. Ah don't ask questions." She hoped that Remy wouldn't push the issue. He didn't respond. Anna wondered if she should just leave him alone. He didn't seem to want to talk to her. "Umm," she started, "is it my fault?"

Remy just gave her a questioning look.

"On her way out," Anna explained, "Lanie said that your fight was my fault. If it is, Ah just wanted to apologize."

He just continued to stare at her. Anna couldn't take his silent treatment any longer.

"Ah'm sorry, Remy. Ah shouldn't have come over," she said. Remy grabbed her wrist as she started to get up.

"Don' chere," he whispered. "Don' leave me. Not again." Anna slowly sat back in her seat. "Truth is, it was my fault."

"Ah'm here ta listen, sugah," Anna placed her hand on his.

"See," he started, "it's my fault Lanie and I got into de fight. She said dat I was still hung up on you. She said dat I was still in love wit' y'. She said dat I changed d' day you came back to de mansion."

"And what did you say to her?" Anna held her breath as she waited for his response.

"I told her dat she was right," Remy answered. He looked Anna in the eyes and placed his hand on her cheek. "I told her day I was still head over heals in love with y', petit'. As you can see, she didn't like dat answer very much."

Anna couldn't quite explain what happened next. As she looked into Remy's crimson eyes, she couldn't help feeling sorry for him. Maybe it was her own guilt, maybe it was the alcohol in her system, or maybe it was because she was still so helplessly in love with him as well. Anna grabbed Remy by the neck and pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss.


	10. Secrets Revealed

**Chapter 9 **

**Secrets Revealed**

Anna looked over at the man that lay in the bed beside her. The room was completely dark, except for a glimmer of light from the full moon. As she traced her fingers down his bare back, she recounted the events that led them back into each other's arms. That kiss was all that was needed to open the floodgates. One solitary kiss was the only sign that Remy needed to know that Anna was still his. They rushed out of Trixie's, completely ignoring the remaining X-Men. Anna pretended not to see the way Logan had rolled his eyes as they walked past him.

They forgot the world around them as they released their passion for one another. Anna blushed at the memory of how she and Remy explored each other's bodies like uncharted lands. No one had known this, but Anna had not been intimate with anyone since departing from the X-Men. She had replaced the empty void in her life that Remy left with work. Flirting with Damon had been the closest thing to a relationship that Anna had.

A pang of guilt hit her as her thoughts wandered back to Damon. Anna tried to push him out of her mind, hoping not to ruin this moment. She gave Remy a gentle kiss on the cheek as she quietly climbed out of bed. Grabbing her robe, she made her way to the bathroom to freshen up before going back to sleep. When she emerged from the bathroom, she was met with a glowing pair of crimson eyes. Anna leaned against the doorframe, waiting for her bed guest to speak.

"Hey, chere," Remy's smooth voice whispered in the darkness.

"Hey yourself, Swamp Rat," Anna joked. Remy sat up and leaned his back against the bed frame. Anna walked back towards him, feeling like a nervous little girl. She hid her nerves well, giving Remy a sly smile and raising an eyebrow. "So," she started to say as she reached the side of the bed. Anna didn't have the opportunity to say anything else. Remy quickly wrapped himself around her, laying her back onto the bed. Their bodies intertwined, picking up where they had left off just an hour ago. Her eyes fluttered as his gentle kisses caressed her neck. As their lips and limbs met for another round of feverish affection, to Anna, nothing in the world could go wrong.

* * *

Exhaustion was setting in as Damon made his way back to Manhattan. As he drove into the parking garage, his thoughts drifted back to Anna. She looked so beautiful that it hurt to know how much in love she was with someone else. As much as they flirted, he saw the way that she looked at Remy, and the way that Remy looked at her. Damon had hoped that there would be some hope for them, but he didn't want to force Anna into anything she wasn't ready for. If he had to wait for her, then so be it. Damon looked at his watch and saw it was almost two in the morning. As Damon walked to the elevator, a sharp pain in his head overwhelmed him. That was when everything went black.

* * *

Remy lay staring at Anna, wondering what he did right to have her back in his life. As he ran his fingers up and down her arm, she gave a little smile.

"You're ticklin' me, sugah," she giggled. Anna maneuvered her way closer to Remy, resting her head in the crook of his neck. She took a deep breath, inhaling his intoxicating scent.

"Sorry, ma cherie," Remy smiled, kissing the top of her head. "Je t'aime."

"Ah love you too," Anna whispered back. "Ah'm so sorry Ah left you…"

"Shh, Anna," Remy interrupted, "Dat's de past. All I want t' do is look ahead to de future. Our future." Anna looked up at him, with a tear rolling down her cheek. Remy took his finger and wiped it away. "What's de matter, chere? Why y' cryin'?"

"Nothin's wrong, Remy," Anna smiled. "It's just, for the first time, in a long time, Ah'm actually happy." She wrapped her arms around him, nuzzling onto his chest. Remy continued to stroke her hair, and within a few minutes, she was fast asleep. The still of the night was interrupted, though, by the sound of a vibrating cell phone. Remy tried to ignore it at first, but whoever was calling was quite persistent.

Remy reached over to Anna's nightstand drawer to silence it. As he opened the drawer to get her phone, he saw a gun. Anna had never been the type of person to carry a weapon. As Remy pulled out her Blackberry, he wondered if Anna was in trouble. When he turned back around, he saw a pair of emerald green eyes looking at him. The eyes trailed down to the phone that he was holding in his hand. Remy glanced down to see the name _Ronald Brookes_. He handed the phone over to Anna, who immediately answered.

"Hello," Anna answered, still sounding half-asleep.

"Where the hell is Price?" Remy heard the voice booming from the phone.

"What?" Anna replied. Remy watched as Anna's eyebrows narrowed. She rubbed her temples before speaking again. "He left hours ago. He should've been there by now."

"Don't you think I know that, Raven?" the man continued. "I've been calling him for the last two hours. I've been waiting for him at the office."

"Ah have no idea, sir," Anna replied. "Ah'll try to call him. Ah'll call you back in a few minutes."

"Don't keep me waiting," Brookes grumbled back.

"Somethin's wrong," Anna whispered. She got out of the bed and began to pace. Remy watched as she dialed. After a few seconds, Remy assumed that she had been directed to voicemail. "Hey, Price. Where the hell are ya? Brookes is lookin' all over for ya. He's still at the office waiting. Call me when ya get this so Ah know you're okay." After she ended her call, she looked over at Remy.

Remy knew immediately that something was wrong. He had known her long enough to recognize the pout that was currently on her lips. She sighed and closed her eyes, not saying a word.

"What's goin' on, petit'," Remy asked. "What's de matter?" He wondered if this had anything to do with that fact that she was carrying a gun.

"There's something Ah need to tell ya, Remy," Anna whispered as she sat on the bed next to him. "Please, don't be angry."

"You can tell me, Anna," Remy answered, placing his hand gently on her cheek. "Whatever is wrong, I'm here t' help."

"Ah," Anna started, unable to get all the words out. She bit her bottom lip. Remy knew that this was serious. "Ah haven't been completely honest with you or the X-Men. Now, Ah'm afraid Damon's in trouble, and Ah don't know what ta do."

Remy didn't quite know how to respond. However, he did know was that he wasn't going to lose Anna again. No matter what kind of trouble she had gotten herself into, he was determined to be there for her.

"Anna," Remy said, "jus' tell me what's wrong." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

"When Ah left the X-Men, Ah didn't quite know what ta do with mah life," Anna explained. She looked at Remy and decided to skip over the part where she had returned to the mansion to see him with Lanie. This wasn't the time nor the place for this discussion. "A few years ago, Ah was approached by some government guys. They knew that Ah wasn't on the X-Men's current roster, but they felt that Ah could be of use."

"Be of use?" Remy questioned.

"They started a mutant division for the FBI," Anna nodded. "We mainly investigate crimes against mutants."

"We?" The word did not get past Remy. "Chere, what exactly do y' mean by 'we'?"

"Ah work for the FBI, Remy," Anna swallowed hard as she answered. She stood from the bed and walked over to her nightstand. From it, she pulled out her gun and a bifold containing her badge, holding one in each hand. She sat back down beside Remy, showing him her badge. "Special Agent Anna Raven, pleased to meet ya." Anna looked up to Remy, looking for some sort of reaction.

"And de homme?" Remy asked next.

"Damon? He's mah partner," Anna answered. "We were sent here ta investigate the murdered mutant in the woods right outside of town."

"So," Remy said, "he's not y' boyfriend." Anna shook her head, surprised by Remy's line of questioning. "Dis is great, Anna!" An enormous smile grew on Remy's face.

"What?" Anna was confused. This was definitely not the reaction she was expecting from Remy. Angry. Hurt. Confused. But, definitely not happy.

"Don't y' see, chere?" Remy explained, "Damon's not y' boyfriend! Den dere's nothin' in de way of us getting back t'gether."

"Oh, Remy," Anna answered. "But, what about Lanie? What about the fact that Ah lied to ya?"

"Lanie. I will talk t' her," Remy responded. "And the fact that y' work for de FBI don't bother me one bit. May come in handy," he winked.

"But, Remy," Anna responded. "What do Ah tell the X-Men."

"It may sound strange comin' from dis ol' thief, but y' just tell dem de truth." Remy was right, and she knew it. Before Anna could continue their conversation, her phone rang again.

"Hello?" Anna answered. "No, sir, Ah haven't gotten in touch with him." Remy watched as Anna listened to the other person. "Oh no," she said, the color draining from her face. "Yes, sir. Right away." Remy waited in silence as Anna took the phone away from her face.

"Damon?" Remy asked.

"No," Anna replied. "It was my supervisor, Ronald Brookes. They found Damon's car in the Bureau's garage. His keys were found near the elevator, but he wasn't anywhere around. He's missin', Remy." Even though Damon and Anna weren't a real couple, Remy knew that he meant something to her, more than Remy cared to admit. But, despite the fact that Damon was his competition, he decided that he would do anything to help Anna find him. "Ah've gotta tell the Professor, Remy. Ah need his help."

Remy nodded in agreement. He took her by the hand, and they walked down the dark halls of the mansion to the only man that would be able to find Damon.


	11. Lies, Lies, Lies

**Chapter 10**

**Lies, Lies, Lies**

"I can't begin to express how disappointed I feel, Anna. After all these years with the X-Men, you should know that you could turn to us for anything," Charles Xavier continued his lecture. Although it was hard admitting the truth, Anna felt a sense of relief knowing that she was no longer lying to her friends. She was also glad that Remy was right by her side the entire time.

"Like Ah said, Ah really am sorry for hiding all this, Professor," Anna whispered. "We had orders to keep our visit quiet. Who ever is committing these murders is catching the attention of some pretty high-ups."

"I understand, Rogue," Charles replied. "We can discuss this more at another time. I can sense your fear right now. What is the matter?"

"It's Damon," Anna answered. She noticed Remy squirm from the corner of her eye. "He was supposed to go back to meet with our boss, but he never showed up. They found his car abandoned in the garage."

"You'd like for me to try and find him?" Charles interrupted. Anna gave a nod. "Very well, but I may need some time. I've only known Damon for a short period of time. We don't quite know what we're dealing with, so I will have to scan for him very carefully. If his disappearance is linked to the two murders, then we need to be extra cautious."

"Thanks, Professor," Anna whispered. "If ya don't mind, Ah still need ta call in the second murder. That's what Damon was on his way to tell Brookes about."

"Not at all," Charles answered. "I will call you as soon as I pick anything up."

Remy and Anna walked out of Charles's study and down to the first level of the house. It was nearly dawn now and the two lovers found themselves a bit hungry. Anna opted for a bowl of cereal while Remy whipped himself up a batch of scrambled eggs. Remy sat down beside Anna, who was currently playing with the Fruit Loops floating in her milk.

"Dey just gonna keep floatin' back t' de top, petite," Remy joked as he watched Anna. She feigned a small smile as she continued to stare at her breakfast. "De Professor's good. He'll find Damon," Remy said, placing an arm around Anna's shoulders.

"Ah shouldn't have let him go back alone," Anna sighed. "Ah'm his partner. Ah should've gone back to the city with him."

"Y' had no way o' knowin' what was gonna happen, chere. Don't let dis eat y' up." Remy pulled Anna's chair around so that they were face to face. He placed both his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. "Damon will just fine." As he pulled Anna closer, she nestled her face in his chest. He felt a pull at his heart as he sat with Anna. He was amazed at how his life had changed in less than twenty-four hours. Remy gave her forehead a gentle kiss and rested his chin on the top of her head. He let out a soft sigh. For the first time in a long time, Remy LeBeau felt true happiness. Their gentle moment was cut short, however, by the slender figure standing in the doorway.

"You couldn't even wait a day before you fucked her, huh?" a woman's voice echoed through the dark and empty kitchen.

Anna spun around to see Lanie with her fists clenched. She clung onto her car keys so tightly that Anna half expected blood to start dripping at any moment. Remy rose from his seat and slowly walked over to his jilted former lover.

"Lanie, chere, we need t' talk," Remy began. The entire time, however, Lanie's gaze was transfixed on Anna.

Anna stood from her seat and grabbed her bowl. "Ah'll leave ya'll some privacy." Anna looked down as she walked past Lanie. Even though she and Remy were together first, she knew first hand how it felt to see your man embracing another woman.

Anna sat in the living room with her cereal. She turned on the television, trying hard not to eavesdrop on Remy and Lanie in the other room. Anna randomly flipped through the cable channels, every now and then hearing some indistinguishable yelling followed with glass shattering. She would have given anything to be a fly on the wall. She continued to distract herself with random infomercials. After about an hour of yelling, and fighting off the urge to purchase the Strap Perfect, it was almost seven in the morning. The other house members were slowly waking one by one. Logan had run in for some coffee, only to walk out a minute later. He let out a whistle as he shook his head.

Finally, Lanie stormed past Anna and headed to the stairs. Anna hoped that Lanie would not notice her, but as she stopped in her tracks, Anna knew that she had not avoided detection. Lanie silently stared at Anna for about a minute. Anna didn't know what to say, if she should say anything at all.

"It was always you," Lanie whispered. "For as long as I've known him, it was always you that he loved." Before Anna could open her mouth to reply, Lanie turned on her heels walked up the steps to her room.

"Ah'm sorry," Anna whispered. But, Lanie had already walked up the stairs, unable to hear Anna's apology.

"Dere's nothin' for y' t' be apologizin' for, chere," Remy answered as he sat down beside her.

"Of course there is, Remy," Anna insisted. "If Ah hadn't returned, you and Lanie wouldn't have split."

"Maybe yes, maybe no," Remy replied. "De only t'ing I know f'sure is dat you're de only woman dis Cajun wants t' spend his life with." Anna curled up next to Remy, trying to shake the overwhelming sense of guilt that she felt. All of that washed away as Remy pulled her into a gentle kiss. Everything in the world always seemed right when she and Remy shared a kiss.

They sat in silence a few moments more before Anna heard the professor in her mind. _Anna, I've located Damon Price. Come to my study at once._

Anna shot Remy a look. "The Professor's found Damon." Remy nodded as he followed her down the halls of the mansion.

"Come in," they heard Xavier say from the other side of the door. "Anna, tell me, how much do you know about Damon Price?"

Anna narrowed her eyebrows out of suspicion. "What do ya mean, Professor? He's been mah partner since Ah joined the FBI about a year ago. He's lived in New York most of his life. No family, except for a golden lab named Magellan. He told me he was in the military before joining the bureau."

"I'm not quite sure the best way to put this, Anna…" Xavier hesitated.

"Just out with it, Professor," Anna interrupted.

"Did you know that Damon was part of a military group that rounded up mutants for government testing?" Professor asked without pause.

"What?" Anna felt a knot in her stomach. She tried hard to process the words that came out of his mouth. What does this…"

"In fact," Xavier interrupted, "that's where he is now - their headquarters."

"This can't be right," Anna shook her head in disbelief. "Damon is an agent, just like me. If he hated mutants, Ah would know. They must have him there against his will. We've gotta help him."

"Anna, I wish I could tell you that his thought patterns registered any sort of stress. But, as far as I could tell, he is there on his own accord," Xavier explained. "He does not seem to be in any sort of danger."

"What do I tell Brookes?" Anna whispered. Her thoughts raced a mile a minute. Damon wasn't a mutant hater. Was he? She had known him for over a year now. He had never shown any sign of hatred toward her or any mutant. But, if what Xavier was saying was true, then how could she trust Damon as a partner. How could she place her life in his hands every day on the field?

"My advice," Xavier replied, "Anna, let Damon return on his own. Ask him to tell you the truth then. In the meantime, explain to Mr. Brookes that you have been in touch with Damon and that he is following up on a tip."

Anna nodded in agreement. "Thank ya, Professor." She walked past Remy who leaned quietly against a cabinet.

"Anna," Xavier called after her as she opened the door, "try not to jump to any conclusions until you talk to Damon. Since I've known you, you have always been a good judge of character. If you have grown to trust Damon, then I'm sure there is a perfectly logical explanation for all of this."

Anna hoped beyond all hope that there was.


	12. Mistakes

**Chapter 11**

**Mistakes**

"Yes, sir," Anna sighed. "Like Ah said. Damon is fine. We spoke last night. He said that he was on his way ta see you when one of his informants called him. It sounded pretty important so he went to meet him right away."

"As soon as you talk to him again, let him know his ass is in hot water for disappearing," Brookes barked.

"Ah will, sir," Anna answered before hanging up. She turned to see Remy watching her in amazement. "What?" Anna asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothin' love," Remy answered with a smile on his face. "Jus' never though I'd see de day y' became a suit."

"Ah beg yer pardon?" Anna questioned with a hint of annoyance. "What exactly do ya mean by that?"

"Y' know chere," Remy replied. "One o' dem. The government suits that used t' chase us X-Men around. Remember those days?"

"The world's a different place now Remy. Things are different." Anna answered. "Listen, before Ah forget, Ah'd like to keep my cover around here. Ah don't mind the core team knowin' the truth. But Ah can't trust anyone else with the knowledge that Ah'm a federal agent. A lot of mutants don't trust me because o' mah badge. And Ah figure that most of the mutants here are probably under that category."

"Say no more, petite. You're secret's safe wit' me." Remy raised his right hand. "Scout's honor."

Anna shook her head at the sight. "You were never a boy scout."

"No," Remy shrugged, "but, I still won't tell anyone." He flashed a devilish grin before walking over to Anna to wrap his arms around her. As he was about to pull her into an embrace, Anna took a step back, avoiding his effort. She gave him a loaded look. "Dat means dat you're still gonna pretend t' be Damon's girlfriend, non?"

Anna nodded. "Until I find out the truth. I still have to maintain my cover."

"But chere," Remy protested, "Lanie and me already split, remember? De whole house is bound to have already found out 'bout us."

"I get it. But that doesn't mean Ah have to come clean about being an agent," Anna explained. "Far as anyone's concerned, we just rekindled our relationship. Damon and I were having problems and I found solace with you. Anything more is just none of their business. But in the meantime, we need to be a little discrete with our little public displays of affection."

"Agreed. We play dis little charade 'til y' solve dis case," Remy replied.

"Thanks," Anna answered. She gave Remy a smile, but turned her attention to her cell phone ringing in her pocket. She shot Remy a look. "It's Damon."

Remy raised his eyebrows, "I'm gonna get a shower, chere. I'll catch up wit' you in a bit." Anna nodded, quickly turning her attention back to her phone.

"You better have a good explanation, Price." Anna answered fiercely.

"I've missed you too, hon," Damon's voice answered on the other end.

"Ah've been looking all over for you! You've put me through hell," Anna replied.

"I know. I know. I just got off the phone with Brookes. He told me that you told him I was following up on a hunch. Thanks for covering," Damon said.

"Where the heck have ya been, Damon?" Anna questioned.

"I can't quite tell you that right now. Listen, let me make it up to you. I've got a few things to do in the city, but I should be back at the mansion by five or so. How about I explain everything over dinner?" Damon requested.

"Fine," Anna spat.

"Great," Damon replied.

"Everything," Anna reminded him. "Ah want ta know everything, Damon." Anna was curious to see just how honest her partner would be.

"I swear, Anna. I'll explain it all," Damon answered. "I'll pick up you by five thirty then?"

"See ya then," Anna answered. Anna was much less excited about having this date with Damon. So much had changed in the last twenty-four hours that Anna felt like her mind was spinning in circles.

Remy was less than excited when Anna explained that she would be going to dinner with Damon that night. His uneasiness was double-sided. One on hand, Anna did not know if she could completely trust Damon. For all she knew, Damon could still be working under his former assignments of rounding up mutants. What if the infamous Rogue was his next mark? On the other hand, if Damon truly cared for Anna, then Remy didn't trust him to keep his hands off his girl. After all, Damon did not know that he and Anna had reunited. Remy had seen Damon in action. He was good. If Damon had not disappeared that night, there was no doubt in Remy's mind that he and Anna would have taken their relationship to the next level. Remy cringed at the memory of how Damon's hands explored Anna's body in the bar that night.

Remy was glad to see that Anna was not wearing something as seductive as she had the night before. Remy grabbed a scarf from her bag and threw it around her neck, hoping that it would hide some of the cleavage that her shirt was revealing. Anna merely smiled at Remy's attempt at being the jealous boyfriend.

"Ah'll be fine, sugah," Anna reassured Remy. "Ah really don't think that Damon's going ta hurt me."

"I'd feel better if y' let me tag along," Remy objected.

"Ah can't, Rems," Anna pouted. "Whatever Damon has t' tell me, Ah doubt he'll want ya around for it."

"Promise me you'll be extra careful, petite," Remy insisted.

"You know Ah will," Anna smiled before giving her love a kiss on the lips. Remy waited until she closed the door behind her to make his move. He climbed out of the bedroom window and ran toward his motorcycle. Anna may put her trust in Damon, but there was no way Remy was going to risk her safety.

Damon pulled up in his SUV as Anna walked out the front door of the mansion. He stepped out of the car and walked around to greet his partner. He motioned towards Anna to give her a kiss on the cheek, but Anna put up her hand in protest.

"Fair enough. I get that you're mad," Damon said. He opened the car door for Anna. He leaned in after Anna had gotten in the car. "I promise. I'll explain everything over dinner."

"You better," Anna replied coldly.

They rode in moderate silence on the way to the small bistro in town. Damon tried his best to make small talk, but Anna would not budge. After they placed their order with the waitress, Anna finally broke her silence.

"So, spit it out, Damon. What happened to you last night?" Anna said.

Damon sighed before beginning. "I told you that I was in the military before I joined the bureau, right?"

Anna nodded, waiting to see if he would reveal the truth that the professor had already told her.

"Well, I don't think I ever really told you what I did." Damon paused and looked for some reaction from Anna. He got nothing except for a crossing of the arms across her chest. "A few years back, I was assigned to a special division of the Marines. Details of our assignment were tight lipped until we arrived at a base in Texas. I was chosen because of my shining record with the military. I guess they thought I was an "ask no questions" type of guy." Damon looked at Anna, who had not changed her demeanor one bit. "Long story short, the base was a secret facility used to perform experiments on mutants."

"What?" Anna finally broke her silence. "What kind of experiments?"

"Don't know," Damon replied. "My job was to find the mutants and return them to the base."

"Ah can't believe you could be a part of that," Anna replied in disgust.

"Believe me when I tell you," Damon answered, "I hated every minute of it. But, you have to understand. I was given orders. I had no choice in the matter."

"No, Damon," Anna argued. "You always have a choice in things. It's called free will." Anna was about to leave when Damon grabbed her by the hand. As she looked into his pale-blue eyes, she saw remorse.

"You're right," Damon replied. "And, that's why when it was time to re-enlist, I didn't. I couldn't go through another minute of that bullshit. That's why I joined the FBI. When I heard about our division, I knew right away that was where I wanted to be."

"You were lookin' for redemption," Anna whispered.

Damon nodded. "I thought by helping mutants, I would some how undo all the harm and pain I had caused. I'm sorry, Anna. I wish I hadn't done those things in my past."

"We all make mistake, Damon," Anna answered. "Lord knows, Ah've made my fair share. But, you still haven't told me what happened to you last night? Where did you go?"

"They asked for my help," Damon replied.

"Who did, Damon?" Anna asked.

"My former squad," Damon answered. "There's a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Anna questioned. Damon's eyes shifted to the drink in his hand. "Damon, answer me. What kind of problem?"

"One of the mutants from the testing facility has escaped," Damon replied.

"How is that a bad thing?" Anna joked. But, the look on Damon's face was extremely serious.

"Test Subject 728," Damon replied. "Designed to hunt and eliminate any mutant threat. Abilities include morphing, accelerated healing, accelerated strength, and accelerated intelligence. Escaped a month ago from the Corpus Christi facility. Last known whereabouts, Westchester, NY."

"Here?" Anna spat. "You're telling me that this monster they created is here?"

"Why do you think we were sent here?" Damon asked. "Do you really think the big wigs give two shits about some carnie freaks that were murdered in the woods? No, we're here because they're afraid that their little toy is the one responsible."

"What did you tell them?" Anna asked.

"I said I would help them," Damon replied. "I figure we can use their resources to find out what we're up against. We can't face this thing alone, Anna. We're going to need help from the X-Men."

"What about Brookes?" Anna asked.

"We can't let him in on this just yet," Damon explained. "After the second murder, this has been escalated to a Level 5 threat. You know what that means."

"Shoot first. Ask questions later," Anna followed up.

"I don't want any innocent mutants or agents getting hurt, Anna," Damon explained. "Let's face it, we're trained well. But, not that well. Most of the people we work with have never had any real experience in combat."

"We'll talk to the professor as soon as we get back to the mansion," Anna answered.

"Thanks," Damon replied.

"Ah'm not doing this for you," Anna chided. "If there's something out there hunting down mutants, we need to find it and stop it as soon as possible."

"Can we talk about something more important now?" Damon asked.

"What's more important than this?" Anna looked at him questioningly.

"Us." Damon answered. "Where does this all leave us?"

"You're still mah partner, Damon. That hasn't changed," Anna explained.

"That's not what I'm talking about, Anna. You know that. Before I left last night, you and I were getting very close," Damon answered.

"Lots of things have changed, Damon. For both of us. Listen after ya left, Remy and Ah," Anna began.

"Say no more," Damon interrupted. "I get it. You snooze, you lose. Hey, if you and the Cajun don't work out, you know where to find me. Just don't forget about me after you start working with your new partner, okay?"

"What new partner?" Anna asked.

"Well, I figure you'll want to put in for a transfer when we get back to the city," Damon explained.

"Damon," Anna replied, "are ya deaf? Ah just said you're still mah partner. Mistakes from your past don't change that. Ah still trust you with mah life when we're out there on the field."

"Really?" Damon replied with a surprised smile on his face.

"Really, really." Anna smiled back.


	13. iTracker

**Chapter 12**

**iTracker**

"You're a what?" Bobby Drake exclaimed in the war room.

"Ah'm," Anna paused for a moment, "We're federal agents." She motioned to the man sitting to her right. "Damon and Ah were sent here to investigate the murders in the woods. Ah sorry for lying to ya'll but we had ta make sure our covers stayed intact."

"The world has come to an end!" Bobby played up. "Rogue has turned to the dark side."

"Shut up, Drake," Anna replied. "Can you just try to be serious, just for a minute."

"You could've trusted us, kid," Logan grumbled from the corner.

"Ah know, Wolverine," Anna sighed. "Ah really did want ta tell everyone."

"Don't blame her," Damon interjected. "I insisted that we kept it a secret. Although Anna knew you all, I had to be sure."

Anna was unsure why Damon had thrown that lie in. Perhaps he was trying to get into her good graces again. Damon glanced over to the other man that sat on the opposite side of his partner. The red on black eyes had not lifted its gaze since he entered the room. Damon refused to back down, staring right back at Remy. Their stares were finally broken when Scott demanded everyone's attention.

"I think we are all in agreement that Rogue should have been honest with us from the start," Scott explained. "However, this is not the key issue at the moment. According to the intelligence provided by Damon's military contacts, we are dealing with a rather dangerous mutant."

"How bad can it be?" joked Bobby. "I mean, we've dealt with the likes of Magneto and Sabretooth. This second rate science project can't be any worse."

"Guess again," Anna disagreed. "Test Subject 728, is a combination of mutations. And, because of its morphing abilities, we don't even know who or what to look for. On top of that, it has heightened strength, intelligence, and healing power."

"She's right," Scott said. "We have to be on guard, people. Until we settle this, I am placing the entire mansion on lockdown. No one gets in or out without a psy-scan."

"So far, all the murders have taken place in the woods," Damon added.

"That's why I'm assigning a team to scope out the woods one more time," Scott replied. "If it's taken refuge in the forest, we'll find it. We can't let this thing kill anyone else. Wolverine, I want you to assemble a group to accompany you."

"Ah'm coming with ya, Wolvie," Anna exclaimed.

"No, Anna," Scott answered. "We're working off the radar for now. We can't have a federal agent injured out there. There'll be too much paper work involved."

"Don't give me that," Anna started to say.

"I said no," Scott interjected. "I want current X-Men only for this."

Anna pursed her lips together in anger. She had never felt so insulted. But, in the back of her mind, she questioned if perhaps Scott was right. Anna never thought it hurt so much to not be a part of the team. After all, she was the one that left.

"Let it go, partner," Damon whispered. "We've got our own things to do." Anna narrowed her eyebrows. "Trust me."

"Cajun," Wolverine called from his seat. "You're in."

Remy stood from his seat and fixed his trench coat. Before he walked over, Anna grabbed him by the hand, pulling him away from the group.

"Be careful out there, sugah," Anna pleaded.

"Hush, chere," Remy smiled. "Dis ain't somethin' you gotta worry 'bout. I can handle whatever dis t'ing throws m' way."

"Remy, it's not a joke. Please promise me that you'll be extra careful," Anna whispered.

"I'll see you soon, mon amour." Remy gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. Anna took a deep breath as Remy leaned in. His cologne was intoxicating. Even in the seriousness of the situation, he was so alluring to her.

As Remy walked past Damon, he stopped to give a warning. "While I'm away, try t' keep your hands to y'self, mon ami. I'd hate for Anna to be mad at me for beatin' the hell out o' her partner."

"Anytime, anyplace LeBeau," Damon replied. "I'm respecting Anna's decision for now. But the moment you slip up, and we both know you will, I'll be here waiting for her." Damon flashed Remy a devilish grin he had only seen on his own face before now.

Before Anna could reach them, Remy had already walked away and joined the rest of the X-Men. The walked out of the room toward the hanger.

"What was that all about?" Anna asked Damon.

"Ahh, nothing," he replied. "Your boyfriend's trying to mark his territory."

"Ah am not a piece of property, Damon," Anna argued.

"You don't have to tell _me_ that, Raven," Damon widened his eyes. "Let's go up to the room. I have something I need to show you." Anna raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Stop thinking such dirty thoughts," Damon replied. "I told you we had work of our own to do right?"

"Ah was not thinkin' dirty, Damon," Ann answered with a hint of annoyance.

"Sure you weren't," Damon laughed. Damon walked hurriedly back to their room with Anna following, trying hard to keep up the pace. Whatever it was Damon had, he was quite eager to share it with his partner.

After Anna shut the bedroom door, Damon walked over to the jacket he had worn the night before. It was a sleek, black device that resembled an iPad. He walked over to Anna, who was standing by the bed.

"What is that?" Anna inquired.

"A tracking device," Damon answered. "It's tied into the facility's database. It can track down all the…" Damon paused.

"All the mutants that have been caught and experimented on?" Anna asked.

"Yea," Damon replied, embarrassed by its existence.

"So why didn't you tell the X-Men," Anna wondered. "They could've used it to track down 728."

"It's kind of complicated," Damon replied. "See, it only works for certain people."

"What is there a lock so only military personnel can access it?" Anna asked.

"Sort of," Damon replied. "It only works for non-mutants. When the developers designed it, they didn't want mutants being able to find out what was happening. So they designed the device to read the physiological makeup of an individual before powering up. Here, try it for yourself."

As soon as Anna placed her hand on the device, it immediately powered down. The screen went black, hiding the secrets of the government facility.

"That's horrible," Anna whispered. "They must really be hiding some pretty bad things there."

"It'll take a minute to power back up. Yet another one of the device's safeguards," Damon explained. After about five minutes, a green light started to blink. Within seconds, Damon was entering codes and passwords at blazing fast speed. "This can't be right." Damon muttered to himself.

"What's the matter?" Anna asked. She tried to figure out what was wrong. Damon continued to enter more codes, causing the device to beep loudly. "Damon what is it?"

"According to this, 728 is close," he answered, his eyes darting feverishly back and forth across the screen.

"How close, Damon? Do Ah have enough time to call the X-Men back?" Anna felt a knot tightening in her stomach. She reached for her phone to call Scott, but he didn't answer.

"This has an accuracy of approximately 1000 feet. That's the best I can do. If this is correct, then 728 is in the mansion right now." Their eyes met for a split second before they ran out the door in the direction of the blinking red dot. Their hunt led Anna and Damon to the courtyard, which was unfortunately full of Xavier's students.

"Can't you get it to be more accurate than this?" Anna whispered. She looked around at the students that were all taking advantage of the unseasonably warm afternoon sun.

"Sorry," Damon apologized, "this is as close as it gets. There has to be at least 70-80 students in the yard today."

"How are we going to draw out 728 without getting any of the other students hurt?" Anna sighed.

The partners looked at each other in desperation, unsure of the next step to take.


	14. Bait

**Chapter 13**

**Bait**

"Listen, as far as anyone here is concerned, we're still a couple right?" Damon asked. "So, for now, let's walk around here like any normal boyfriend and girlfriend would. We might be able to get close enough to listen in on any conversations. Maybe we'll pick up on something."

"Sounds like as much of a plan as any," Anna agreed. "Before we do this, let me try calling Scott one more time." Anna held her breath, hoping that he would answer this time.

"Summers," the voice said on the other line.

"Thank god," Anna sighed in relief. "Listen, we've tracked 728. He's here at the mansion. I need you to call the X-Men back now!"

"How could you have possibly," Scott started to say. Anna was in no mood for his doubtfulness.

"Listen, that doesn't matter," Anna insisted. "All that matters is that 728 is somewhere in the courtyard. We don't know who it is, but he's definitely here."

"Don't move until we get there," Scott demanded.

"Sorry, Scott," Anna replied, "but you see, Ah ain't an X-Man, remember? Ah don't have ta take orders from you." Anna quickly hung up her phone before joining Damon. He placed his arm around her as they started their faux lovers' walk.

"What about that big burly guy over there?" Damon motioned toward a mutant that Anna had never seen before. He was at least seven feet tall. All across his rugged skin were menacing spikes.

"Isn't that a bit too obvious?" Anna commented.

"What do you mean?" Damon asked.

"Well," Anna explained, "728 has advanced intelligence right? Don't ya think he'd want ta blend in a little better? Ah mean, look at him, he's got public enemy number one written all over him. Ah'd probably keep a look out for the quiet ones that no one seems ta notice."

"Good point," Damon agreed. They continued to walk around the yard. Just a few days ago, Anna would have loved walking around with his arm around her waist. But, given the current awkwardness of their relationship (mostly in her own mind), Anna could feel the tension in her shoulders growing. Damon was quick to pick up on her mood. "Relax, will you?" He joked. "I'm not trying to steal you away from your boyfriend."

"Ah'm sorry, Damon," Anna replied. "It's just weird for me."

"Listen, Raven," Damon rebutted, "we're just working. If I was trying to win you over, you'd know." He flashed a quick smile, and his crystal eyes once again mesmerized Anna.

If Anna had been paying more attention, she would have noticed the woman that was approaching from the left. Anna felt like she hit a brick wall when she collided with the other person. The impact overwhelmed her mentally, knocking her off her feet.

"Oh mah, Lord! Ah'm so sorry," apologized Anna. She bent down to help the woman pick her purse. Their collision caused a domino reaction with a group of students walking by. It was as if a blizzard of papers dumped itself on the court. In the commotion, Anna never realized who the other person was. "Lanie," Anna choked out, face turning beet red. "Ah'm so sorry! Ah didn't see ya, sugah. Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, thanks," Lanie replied pleasantly. "Sorry there, I was thinking about something. I guess I didn't see you guys walking. I'll see you around." Anna and Damon stared at her until she disappeared into the sea of students.

"Guess, she's forgiven me," Anna whispered.

"What was that?" Damon asked, unable to hear her over the still chaotic scene around them.

Anna was unable to repeat herself though. Off in the distance, a loud boom filled the air. The agents quickly fled the courtyard to check out the source of the explosion. If it was 728, they needed to get there as fast as possible. The returning X-Men were already in the lab just as they got out of the elevator.

"What happened?" Anna asked everyone. She and Damon had instinctually drawn their weapons, ready to fire.

"Take it easy, chere," Remy answered. "M'sieur Bete was just tinkerin' wit' some o' his toys." Remy walked up to her, lowering her arms with his hand.

"We got the message from slim," Wolverine said. "How the hell did this thing get in the mansion?"

"I have no clue," Damon replied. "We were able to track it down to the courtyard, but there were just too many students to figure out who 728 was."

"We'll have to get Chuck to do a scan of all the mutants in the perimeter," Wolverine suggested. "That's the only way to know for sure."

"Ah think Ah know just who ta start with," Anna jumped in. "Ah'll ask the professor to check first, but Ah just might have a plan on how to stop 728 without any of the students getting harmed."

* * *

Anna walked into the war room with Logan. She gave him a small smile and mouthed the words "thank you" before taking her seat. A faint psy-scan from Xavier proved Anna's suspicions. 728 was exactly who she thought it was. After confirming 728's identity, Anna devised a plan that would put her into very real danger. Her plan was simple enough. Anna would approach 728 and draw it into an isolated space under false pretenses. It would be her job to lower 728's guard just long enough so that the rest of the X-Men could strike offensively. She and Xavier thoroughly discussed the plan with the rest of the team, including Damon.

"Dis is insane, chere," Remy yelled at his recently reacquainted girlfriend. "I won' let y' put y'self in harm like dis."

"For once, I agree with Remy," Damon added. "There's no way you're going through with this."

Both men knew that one of Anna's greatest pet peeves was being told what she could and could not do. They both prepared themselves for the inevitable backlash that was on its way.

"What Ah decide to do with mah life is no one's decision but mah own," Anna spat at the two men seated across from her. "This is the only way we can guarantee that no one else gets hurt."

"Maybe so," Remy argued. "But, it don' have t' be you. I can go in and do the same exact t'ing."

"No, Remy," replied Anna. "You have your own mission right now." Her voiced trailed off as she felt a sickening sense of anxiety in her stomach. "After Ah leave, Professor Xavier will give you all the details." She looked over to Xavier who nodded to Gambit. Anna took one more sigh before standing from her seat. "Ah'm ready to do this now."

"Just remember what we talked about. If anything starts to go wrong, we will be in right away. I will maintain a psychic link with you and the entire time," Xavier reminded her.

"Right," Anna sighed. Damon couldn't bring himself to look at her. He couldn't help but feel that somehow, if anything happened to Anna, it was indirectly his fault.

"Be careful, chere," Remy said as he pulled her into a long embrace.

"Ah will, love," Anna whispered into the crook of his neck. She gave him a gentle kiss on the lips before quickly pulling away. Any more time in Remy's arms and she wouldn't have had the courage to go through with her suicidal plan.

Anna felt as if she were taking the walk of the dead man right before his own execution. A chill ran up her spine at the thought. She continued to remind herself that the rest of the team would be in the other room. If she needed them, they were there. That was one of the things that she missed the most about being an X-Man.

Anna walked back out into the courtyard. It was still as busy as earlier in the day. Anna surveyed the area for her target. After a few minutes, she spotted 728 sitting by one of the grounds' fountains. It sat peacefully, reading a book. Its ability to sit so tranquilly and assimilate itself into the rest of the student population was terrifying to Anna. If it could include itself here in Xavier's School so easily, its prey had no chance of survival if it were on the hunt. Anna took a deep breath and prepared herself for the approach. There was no sense in delaying the inevitable now. 728 was only three steps ahead. Anna steadily reached her hand out to tap 728 on the shoulder.

"Hi," Anna smiled as best she could. "Ah was wondering if you and Ah could talk for a minute."

"Sure," 728 replied. "What about?"

"Remy," Anna lied. "And if we could, maybe we could talk in private." 728 nodded before standing up beside Anna. "Thanks. Ah really appreciate this Lanie."


	15. Sacrifice

**Chapter 14**

**Sacrifice**

Anna looked into the face of the woman that Remy had replaced her with years ago. Although she knew that this was not the real Lanie, she couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. She had no intention of restarting her relationship with Remy when she returned. In fact, she all but wanted to avoid him the entire time she was here. As she led the fake Lanie back into the mansion, away from all the students, she forced herself to concentrate on the task at hand.

Anna had not thought about it at the time, but the overwhelming feeling she felt when she bumped into Lanie earlier that day was actually her own mutation kicking in instinctually. It was not the actually physical force of Lanie that knocked her back, but rather 728's mental thoughts bombarding itself into Anna's psyche. Their skin had brushed so lightly against one another. Neither mutant had even realized that Anna had absorbed 728.

"So, what did you want to talk about again?" asked 728, still in Lanie's form.

"Well, nothing in particular really," Anna replied. "Ah just want ta make sure that everything's alright between us." They were almost to the area of the mansion where the rest of the X-Men were waiting. _Just a few more feet,_ Anna kept thinking to herself.

"Why wouldn't it be, Rogue," 728 answered. "I don't give two shits about that arrogant Cajun."

Anna stopped in her tracks, swallowing hard. "Ah thought ya loved him."

"You know, it was a pretty good try," 728 started to laugh. "Let's stop the charade, shall we? You and I both know that I'm not the real Lanie. Let me guess, there's an ambush waiting for me right on the other side of that door, right?" 728 moved at a speed that looked like a blur of white. In an instance, 728 was standing behind Anna with a knife to her throat. 728 had morphed back into his original form. Anna could only see him from the corner of her eye, but she could see the scars all over from all the testing and experimentation. "Don't even think of trying anything, or I swear to God, I'll cut your throat so deep and so fast you'll never even feel a thing. Let's how about you and me go into the room where they're waiting. Can't we try to have a civil conversation?"

"They know everything," Anna spat out. "The professor has a psychic link between us all."

"If that's the case, then they'll know to back off as soon as the door opens," 728 replied with a smile. "Now walk."

Anna stared straight ahead as 728 maneuvered them into the room. Inside, the X-Men stood on guard, waiting to strike. Anna saw Damon begin to reach for his gun, but signaled him to stop with her eyes.

"Let her go," Scott spoke first.

"So I can have the wrath of the X-Men come at me at once?" 728 replied. "Not a chance. There's no way I'm going to let you hand me back to the testing facility."

"No one ever said we would," Scott answered. "We understand the pain you must have gone through while you were there, but that doesn't give you the right to murder two innocent mutants."

"What innocent mutants? The carnie brothers? You've gotta be kidding me," 728 replied. "I did them a favor. We all escaped the base together. It wasn't until we arrived in Westchester that I realize that they had been subject to experimentation as well. They were in advanced stages of pain before I put them out of their misery."

"That's still no excuse," Logan jumped in, "you ain't got the right to play God. Besides, I saw those bodies, they weren't mercy killings."

"But those humans do? And as for the brothers, what can I say. I like to kill with conviction." 728 was clearly getting agitated now. The blade of the knife pressed harder against Anna's fair neck. "But don't worry, once Anna and I get out of here, I'll get my revenge on every single one of those military bastards."

"No one gets it more than me, bub," Logan answered. "But there're a lot of innocent people that you'll kill along the way. I can't let that happen."

"I'm disappointed, Logan," 728 mocked. "I thought you would understand, even if no one else did."

"Ah've had just about enough of this," Anna interjected. She raised her hand to absorb 728, and although he was keen to her plan, she still managed to absorb enough to slow him down.

He quickly pushed her away, but the rush of evil thoughts flooded her mind. She had been so unaccustomed to having another psyche in her mind. Since joining the FBI, Anna could count on one hand the number of times she'd used her powers. Damon rushed to her side in a worry.

"Anna," Damon gently picked her up. She wasn't responding. The rapid fluttering of her eyelids terrified him. He gently ran his fingers through her hair, hoping that she would awaken soon.

Around them, a battle had developed. Wolverine, Cyclops, and Iceman were working together to try to take down 728. They had completely underestimate just how far his genetic altering had gone. They had almost cornered 728 and taken him down, but he swiftly moved to the side avoiding their attack. Xavier sensed the battle and sent Gambit to help the others. As he walked into the room, a chair flew past his head. Remy nimbly ducked out of the projectile's path before charging one of his trademark playing cards.

728 quickly assessed the situation and realized that the odds were quickly stacking up against him. He spotted Damon caring for the unconscious Anna on the floor. 728 engaged Iceman and threw him into Scott, creating a distraction. In a millisecond, 728 made his way over to Damon. He would use the human as his hostage on the way out of this place. It seemed so fitting. One of them would finally help him. He charged at Damon, who still had his back turned.

Anna's eye darted open at once. She pushed herself up and in between 728 and her partner. She wrapped her arms around 728, causing his drawn knife to stab her just under her ribs. She held on to him with all her might, draining as much of his power as possible. Anna quickly scanned the room for Logan. As their eyes met, Anna yelled out, "Wolverine, now!"

At once, he charged at 728, claws fully extended. He plunged his razor sharp claws right into 728's heart, right through Anna's slender body.

Through the pain, Anna heard two voices yell out in unison. "No!" they sang together. Soon after, she felt Wolverine's claws exit her body, the same way they had come in. She dropped to her knees from the pain.

Gambit shoved Wolverine at once. "What've you done, homme?"

"Take it easy, Gumbo," replied Wolverine. He nodded his head toward the two bloody bodies that lay side by side on the floor. "The kid's gonna be just fine. Between my and 728's healing factor, her body will be like new in no time. In the meantime, we need to restrain 728, just in case he comes back." Scott and Wolverine quickly took care of that as Gambit refocused his attention to Anna. Iceman ran to the medical ward to get some help. Damon had already joined her side.

"How's she doin'?" Remy asked. He knelt down beside her.

"I've checked the wounds," Damon replied. "Looks like Logan was right. It's like she wasn't even scratched. But, her eyes. Why are they moving around like crazy again?"

Remy pushed the hair out of her face and gently stroked her cheek. "She's fightin' off the bastard in her mind now. Give it time though, he'll disappear from her thoughts soon. They didn't hold on f' long."

"There's a lot that I still don't know about Anna," Damon said.

Remy smirked. "It'll take more than a year t' figure chere out. Trust me, I still don' know what goes through her head half de time."

Hank walked in with Iceman. "Excuse me gentlemen, but I'd like to give Anna a thorough examination. After a battle like that, I want to make sure she's okay."

"Go ahead, doc," Remy answered. The two men moved out of the way as Hank and Bobby carefully placed Anna on the gurney. Slowly, they wheeled her out. Hank had mentioned that they would be able to come by to check up on her within the hour. "I know y' care for her." Remy said to Damon after everyone had left the room.

Damon looked at Remy blankly, unsure of how to respond to that comment. "She's my partner. Of course I do."

"I'm not stupid, mon ami," replied Remy. "Y' know what I mean."

Damon pursed his lips together and thought about his response for a minute. "She made her choice."

"But that ain't gonna stop you, is it?' questioned Remy.

Once again, Damon paused before replying. "Nope," he said simply before walking out of the room.

"Good. Cause after Roguie, dere's nothin' I love more den a challenge," Remy grinned to himself before following his competition out of the room.

* * *

The faint beeping of medical equipment slowly woke Anna from her slumber. It had been a while since she found herself recovering in a hospital bed. Spending time with the X-Men was definitely hazardous to her health. After her eyes adjusted to the fluorescent lights, she noticed the tall slender figure standing beside her. "Remy," she whispered.

"Not quite," Damon replied. "Sorry to disappoint."

"Damon!" Anna sat up in her bed. "Are you okay? Did they get him?"

"I'm fine," Damon smiled. "As for 728, Wolverine said that he wouldn't be hurting anyone else for a long time. Should I have asked what that meant?"

Anna chuckled and shook her head. "As agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, I strongly suggest that we not inquire any more into the existence of Test Subject 728."

"So you're still going to be an agent then?" Damon asked. "I figured that after you fought with the X-Men again, you'd want a piece of the old life back."

"Ah'd be lying if Ah said that a little bit o' me didn't enjoying being at the mansion again," Anna answered. "But, my life's just in a different place right now. Right now, I work with you, for the FBI. I like the work we do. And for the first time in my life, Ah'm not running from the law," Anna joked.

"I'm glad," Damon smiled. He placed his hand on hers and gave her forehead a gentle kiss.

"I'm gone f' less den five minutes an' you're already tryin' t' steal m' girl," Remy commented as he entered the room. "Dat's what I get f' bein' de nice guy and offerin' t' get us some coffee."

"Sorry, man," Damon replied. "Old habits die hard I guess."

Anna stared at the two men in disbelief. "Ah must still be unconscious. This has ta be a dream. Or maybe Ah'm dead," she said in a panic.

"Take it easy, chere," Remy said. "Dis is real. You're alive and awake. Let's jus' say Damon and I reached an understandin'."

"Ah don't think Ah like the sound of that," Anna replied. "But, Remy, before Ah forget. Were you able ta find the real Lanie?"

"Oui, chere," Remy replied. "De prof tol' me dat y' didn't t'ink she was dead. Somethin' 'bout sensin' a memory from 728."

"Yeah," Anna said. "All I could see was somewhere dark and cold and wet."

"Luckily, she was awake. It was pretty easy for Xavier to locate her telepathically. Apparently, 728 didn't kill her. Jus' wanted her out o' the way until he figured out how t' include himself with de rest of the mansion. I found her by an old well on the property. She wasn't too happy t' see me. But, health wise, she's okay."

"Ah'm glad. Listen, Damon, can ya give Remy and me a moment?" Anna asked of her partner.

"Sure," Damon replied. "I've got a shit load of calls to make anyway. I'll be by again later."

Anna waited for the door to close before turning to Remy.

"Uh oh," Remy joked, "I know dat look."

"It's nothing bad, sugah," Anna smiled. "Ah just wanted a moment for us ta talk… about us."

"T'ings will be different dis time, chere. I promise. I lost y' far too many times. More den I care t' admit," Remy spoke seriously.

"Ah know they will, sugah," Anna replied. "Remy, Ah just want to make it clear that Ah'm staying with the FBI. Ah really like working where Ah am right now. Ah don't think Ah can move back into the mansion just yet."

"I figured as much," Remy sighed. "I hate t' admit it, but you bein' the law kinda turns me on."

Anna slapped him on the arm. "Ah'm serious, Remy!"

"So am I, chere. So am I. But, I get it. Y' need your space from de X-Men," Remy agreed. "Looks like I'll just have t' move into the city so we can be closer to each other."

"Are ya serious?" Anna smiled. She hadn't expected that from Remy LeBeau. Her insides were jumping for joy.

"Like I said," Remy said, leaning in closer. "I'm not gonna lose y' again. Je t'aime."

"Ah love you, too." As their lips met, Anna couldn't help but feel happy again. Through all the trials and tribulations, she and Remy had found a way back to each other. For once, the former X-Man known as Rogue tried not to anticipate the next step with her Cajun boyfriend. No, for once, she would just enjoy the moment they shared now. As they kissed and embraced each other on the hospital bed that night, it was as if they had never even been apart.


	16. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Anna grabbed a mug from her kitchen cabinet. It was nice to be back home, in her regular routine. She checked her cell phone after hearing it beep.

**Miss you already. –O**

Anna smiled at the message as she poured herself a cup of coffee. She grabbed her newspaper and sat at her kitchen table. The murders in Westchester had been covered up. They were chalking the murder up to some heinous animal mauling. It was believable enough to put the people in the town at ease. There was picture of a large brown bear shot dead with the local police chief. Anna shook her head in disgust. Anna once again turned her attention to her phone beeping.

**Morning gorgeous. Debriefing with Brookes. 9 AM sharp. **

"Damon flirts even in texts, huh?" Remy said from behind, kissing Anna good morning on her neck. His touch sent chills all over her skin.

"Remind you of anyone?" Anna replied, kissing him in return. "Ah'm surprised you're up. You were awake all night."

"Well," Remy sighed, "someone _kept_ me up all night."

"Ah don't remember ya complaining last night?" Anna replied.

"Who said I was complain'," Remy smiled. "Y' headin' out?"

"Yeah. It's already 8:30. Brookes will kill me if Ah'm late," Anna gulped down her coffee. "Still on for dinner?"

"Definitely," Remy answered. "I'll pick you up around 8."

"See you then," Anna smiled in return. She smiled inwardly at how well her life was turning out. She had a good job, a great apartment, great friends, and a wonderful boyfriend. Everything was normal. Normal. This was never a word Anna thought she would use to describe her life. But, surprisingly enough, it was exactly that. And, as she shut the door to her apartment, she knew that she wouldn't have it any other way. 

* * *

**So folks, that's it for Tangled Lines. I have decided to continue this reality and write about more adventures of Anna, Remy, and Damon. What do you think? **

**And, thanks to my wonderful reviewers. Although few, I really do appreciate the support!**


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